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CAE Reading and Use of English Practice Tests

Below you will find 15 CAE (C1) Reading and Use of English Practice Tests. Each test is complete with answer keys, explanations and a short vocabulary. Take the test online to see your CAE Grade score. You can also print them or save in PDF for later use. These CAE practice tests are perfect for self-preparation!

The tests below are optimised for online and mobile usage. If you want PDF CAE Reading and Use of English tests, see this list of print-friendly tests .

Having trouble scoring high? Consider reading the basics of CAE Reading and Use of English first. The article has some strategies and tips to help you improve your score.

CAE Reading and Use of English Practice Test 1

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Very very greatful for these exercises, they are a big help, I did not know the READING AND USE OF ENGLISH part of the test was divided into 8 different parts. THANKS.

You guys this tests are a big help, thank you very much…There are some software errors though, for example in some Part 7 of READING AND USE OF ENGLISH you dont have all the options (A-G), sometimes option E is missing. And in the last 3 tests there are some repeated texts or with the wrong promts…other than that this is all very helpful, thanks again 🙂

Thanks for the heads up, Yornimo! I will look into the errors shortly!

I love your tests …really helpful but i would like to download these. Is there a way i could ?

Hello Aayath! Glad to hear your like the tests! At this moment you can use print-friendly tests to save them as PDFs. I will look into a one-pdf solution in the future.

thanks for the tests!! They are amazing I use them with my CAE students.

Glad we could be of help!

I think you should be more lenient towards multiple choices/options when it comes to open close and rephrase exercises. Sometimes more options are valid, but it looks like it has to be set in stone.

Hello Alex! I appreciate your feedback. Could you point out the cases where you feel more options should be allowed? I’d be glad to implement those if you believe they fit.

Sure. Here’s one. Test 11, Use of English part 4, exercise 28. Indicated answer “somewhere else to”. Why isn’t “some place else to” acceptable?

Why am I asking this? Because I understand that some prepositions or phrases are set in stone, such as “to be in the mood TO go / FOR going”, which is perfectly alright (it’s another rephrase exercise in the same test), but those who can be rephrased differently and still be grammatically correct and make sense should be accepted as well. Now I’m not sure how they asses you on a real CAE exam, but if they simply cut with a red pen through your rephrase without even checking the answer’s potential suitability then.. it’s quite a shame.

First of all I apologise for my late reply. You are correct. Someplace else to fits semantically and grammatically – so there is no reason to mark it as incorrect. Personally I didn’t know of such adverb, probably because it is only used in American English [ 1 , 2 ]. This of course doesn’t mean we can’t use it there. At the real exam you have more freedom of phrasing as your answers are human-checked, not simply matched with a (rather limited) list of ‘correct’ answers as is the case with the mock tests. The tests presented here use javascript code to compare user input against pre-written answers in its memory. Naturally, if it doesn’t match the three or four programmed variants it marks it as incorrect. I have added this answer to the list. Once again, thanks for your input!

Hello! Don’t worry for the late reply! We’re all busy. I didn’t know they use java in such tests; an interesting thing to find out, indeed. Also, good to know that in the real test they are more accepting than I thought. Thank you for adding the answer! xD

Unfortunately, I have to report another issue. Test 13, Use of English part 1, exercises 2 and 3. The letter of the answer marked as correct does not coincide with the actual answer options in the grid. For example, both are marked as B being the correct answer, but option B doesn’t actually have the right word.

Thanks for your vigilance! I believe it’s high time I went over all these tests again 🙂

You’re welcome! You should also take a look at test 14, Use of English Part 4, exercises 25 and 30. For 25, even if “taking/having” are in brackets, which would mean they are optional (and they are, honestly), the answer is still marked wrong if you don’t use one of them. In case of 30, the right answer is marked wrong for no apparent reason. I know I’m annoying XD, but I’ll go through the rest of the tests and post the mistakes/improvements so that people can learn something useful from online tests too. Otherwise, the level of difficulty of these tests is challenging, which is great!

You have no idea how grateful I’d be. I’ll correct the things you have mentioned. Please do say if there’s more!

Last test, 15: Use of English Part 2, exercise 14: the right answer, which is “on” is not accepted. Same test, exercise 28, rephrase exercise: “now matter how hard” is indicated as the right answer, but it lacks an “I”, as the sentence finishes in “try”, and so the subject is dismissed in the answer key, which is by all means grammatically unacceptable. That’s it for now :D.

Both cases are an overlook on my part. I have fixed both cases, thanks again 🙂

Hi, I’m sorry to bother but is there any way you could submit test 16,17 and so? Thanks!

Hello Mikaela! Hopefully I will have new practice tests posted by October. Thanks for your interest in my website 🙂

Thank you so much for all these tests! You have spent a huge amount of your time just to help us /teachers and students/ for free and it really makes a difference. Great job!

Can I have a PDF file so that I can do it without computer, as I have problems with my eyes.

Thanks very much for this big help.

I’m really glad that you found the materials helpful, Diana! I have some improvements planned that will hopefully make engexam even better.

Ly, you can download CAE Reading and Use of English tests in PDF here: https://engexam.info/cae-reading-and-use-of-english-practice-tests-printfriendly/

Hi! Just wanted to drop by and thank you for all these amazing materials! I discovered this site by chance this summer when out of the blue I had decided to *finally* take the CAE ; my main weaknesses have always been Reading and Use Of English; I religiously did some exercises every day and I could definitely tell the improvement just after a couple weeks. A user-friendly interface, loads of different tests, simulation of your grade and the keys with explanations, I couldn’t have asked for anything better. I’ve gotten my exam results pretty recently and seeing that I ACED what I first considered to be the most “to-be-feared” parts brought me so much relief and happiness. I’m gonna sound like a broken record but- thanks again, a lot.

Sara, thanks for your heart-warming words! I’m really happy that the tests proved to be of so much help 🙂

Hello! You are doing a great job!! It is fantastic! I only learn this beautiful language. Could you please, check one more time test 12, task 5 – reading, namely questions?

I am so grateful for your amazing job!! Thank you so much!!

Thanks for pointing that out Bajena, fixed it!

You’re very welcome 🙂

Thank you very much! That’s a really great job!

Hello from Spain. Just writing to say thank you. I have recently passed my CAE test and your exams have been crucial in my self-training. Taking your tests helps us to manage time and, therefore, to feel more relaxed in the D-day. It is a fact that, on average, students have a 10% worse performance in official exam compared with home tests. In my case I improved it, and I think the reason is all the training made on sites like yours. Thank you for your job and goodbye

Congratulations! And thank you for your kind words 🙂

Hi. I found that these tests are of great use to me so thank you! English vocabulary and grammar have captured my interest and actually I’m not so bad at these so through doing these mock tests I can improve my weaker points, like reading for example. I don’t have the faintest idea when I will take the CAE test, but once again thanks very much for your useful materials.

I am happy that you find the tests helpful, Na 🙂 Your English is great – have some practice, be brave and take the test!

There is an error in Test 10, specifically in Part 4. In one sentence it appears “occured”, when it should be “occurred”, with double r. Nevertheless, thank you so much for your web. It enables me to practice a lot and for sure I will notice it when I take the exam.

Thanks for pointing that out, Martí! Fixed 🙂

Hi, It appears that you only allocate 1 point per question for all parts of the exam. In the actual exams Parts 4, 5, 6 and 7 are worth 2 points for each question giving a total of 78 points for the exam not 56. Your way of assessing the results skews them upwards. This may give students a false sense of accomplishment.

Melissa, that is a very astute observation. I have fixed this issue!

Hello, I think that the test are still not assessed correctly.

Hello, Meri-An, Thanks for pointing that out. There were some inaccuracies with the system in some tests in Part 5 and 6. It is now fixed!

What about Part 4?Is it worth 2 points?

It should be worth two points now, yes!

Hello, The tests are great! Much helpful after I depleted all official sample tests available 🙂 thank you. Though, to let you know, the score still doesn´t seem accurate. I always count the points myself (leaving possible tolerance for part 4) and the two scores always vary significantly..

Thanks for bringing this to my attention. After last backup we had rolled the changes back. Now the test score should be 100% accurate!

Hello, I would like to ask you if you could give us a solution in the part 3 -gap 18. in the PRACTICE TEST 5. Thank you in advanced.

Hello, Miona. Fixed that, thanks for letting me know!

Hello, I just wanted to point out that in the practice test 12, part 5, question 12, answers for the question are not related to the text. I also noticed that those are answers for the practice test 11.

Thanks for pointing that out, Miona! Fixed.

This site is wonderful, your explainations are very helpful. TYSM <3

Great site, would definitely recommend

Hi, look at test 12, part 4. 27 and 28 won’t mark my choice, no matter what I put there, it always marks as false.

Great site! Wanted to ask about evaluational system, though. Is it correct, that if you succesfully did 60 % of the test, you will get Grade C? I mean is it the exact evaluational system, that is used by Cambrige?

Correct. The formula was leaked somewhere on the web. 60% of points is enough to get Grade C. Interestingly, 92% of points of enough to get top mark (210) for each respective aspect.

great job really it helps a lot please put more as they are so useful

where can I find more free practise tests?

Hi, I wanna thank to all the people envolved in this website. Thanks to these exams I finally got my Certificate in Advanced English (C1). I’m very happy, it was hard work but I succeeded. I encourage to all the candidates to study harder every single day. Thank you so much for helping me with these Reading tests.

Congratulations, Daniel! Hard work always pays off in the end :). Thanks for your kind words.

Hi! I really don’t understand how the grading system works. There are 56 exercises in total, but at the end of the test, I will be shown how many I got right out of 78. How does that happen?

Hello, Doja Valentin. In CAE Reading and Use of English Tasks 1,2,3 and 8 give 1 point for each correct answer. Tasks 4,5,6 and 7 give you 2 points as they are more difficult and take more time to complete.

I am pleased about this website because It helped me come up with 25 marks at the CERF level. I recommend this site highly for those who are willing to improve their marks in Cambridge Exams. Thank you

Hey could it be also in CAE practise test 13, part 4, task 25 Word ‘probable’ instead of likely? Thanks

Indeed, thanks for pointing that out! I have added it to the list of answers in the system

A million thanks for the practice tests! They are incredibly helpful!

Just a comment, there is a mistake when printing test 5 and 9, the previous tests appear instead. When trying to print test 5, test 4 is downloaded. The same happens with test 9.

Thank you very much, Ana

Thanks for pointing that out Ana! We have fixed both PDF files. If the problem persists for you, try using a different browser or clearing browser cache and cookies (be careful with that as you might lose all your saved passwords though)

This website has been very helpful so far, thank you of existing mr.admin

I can’t thank you enough. This website was a game-changing. I took C1 advanced on the 21st of October and I passed! I always recommend your website to all my friends!

I have a suggestion for you. I noticed that there is a timer when you start the test. When it comes to Reading and Use of English, I like to start the test by doing the Reading in the part 5 first, and I leave the Use of English for the end. There could be an option to start the timer and when we decide to go back to the other exercises, it continues counting down.

Once again, thank you so much 🙂

Thank you so much and congratulations! 🙂 I will look into the timer thing, thanks for the suggestion!

You guys this tests are a big help, thank you very much…There are some software errors though, for example in some Part 7 of READING AND USE OF ENGLISH you dont have all the options (A-G), sometimes option E is missing. And in the last 3 tests there are some repeated texts or with the wrong promts…other than that this is all very helpful, thanks again

Thanks for the heads up, Anbu! We will look into that.

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Reading comprehension exercises

• English grammar
• Advanced reading
• Intermediate reading
• Language games and puzzles

Advanced EFL / ESL Comprehension, grammar and vocabulary: exercise and classroom activity index, listed by type of exercise or activity or grammar point.

   a thematic index of exercises and classroom activities for use with advanced english articles on linguapress.com  -  median level c1 ., texts accompanied by general comprehension exercises, general comprehension exercises, based on the text. for cloze (gap-fill) exercises , jump to ► words and vocabulary exercises below.

• A Few Good Reasons   with audio -   Interactive   A short story with general comprehension exercises 
• All you need is Love with audio -   22 written or oral comprehension questions on this article
• Britain - at any cost ?     10 oral or written comprehension questions about the article
• America's drive-in movie theaters . True/False questions - justify your answers
• The Bird Man of the Isles - True/False questions
• Bodie - where the west was wildest - Interactive right or wrong exercise.
• Deserts of America -   with audio True/False questions
• Drug addiction: Days in the Death...   True/False questions
• Mardi Gras in New Orleans  Ten general comprehension questions to answer
• Mississippi Music :   Decide if statements are right (R) or wrong (W). Rewrite any wrong statements, correcting them as necessary.
• Rosa Parks -  Interactive - General comprehension questions about the article.
• Short story - Lucky Jim - General comprehension questions
• Tea and the British : with audio Interactive Text comparison : Find and correct the ten factual mistakes in a summary of the article
• Tolkien & the Hobbit    Interactive  Read through the article, then complete sentences using relevant information

Comprehension - listening

• Short story - Blue Gum Tree - with audio Two listening comprehension exercises are suggested.
• Crime time basketball - Have students remember what was written in the article.
• Steaming on the Mississippi .   with audio Memory exercise - Read or play the text, stopping at the pause marks. Students suggest what follows.
• Thinking it over with baby .  with audio  Find the differences between the written text and the recorded version, and pick out those that change the meaning.

Comprehension : sequencing events  

• Jewel - the voice from Alaska -   Read the article then put list of events into chronological order.
• Route 66 - Highway 66 revisited : Read the article, then put these events in the right order.

Comprehension - careful reading for information

• The Queen who almost wsn't - with audio   Complete  sentences using information from the text, and providing the number of words indicated
• Nevada and its Extraterrestrials Find the 20 cases where the information in the resumé of the article does not correctly reflect what was written in the original. Covers vocabulary and factual information.
• Deserts of America . with audio Parallel texts :  pick out differences in expression either between the audio version of this text and the written version, or between the written version and a second version given below. 
• Pubs and their signs   Read the article and write down five things that you have learned about British pubs.
• Guy Fawkes and Bonfire Night :   Interactive   Text correction (correctable onscreen): Correct 20 mistakes of grammar and vocabulary
• Smugglers   Interactive   Text correction (correctable onscreen): Correct the mistakes in this badly copied extract from the article.
• Tea and the British :   with audio Text comparison : Find the ten factual mistakes in this summary of the article

Reusing information : Creative or descriptive writing

• The American way of eating .  with audio    Interactive   Reuse information from the article, starting with the prompts given.
• Awaiting the big one  - Imagine that you are a journalist in 1906 in San Francisco, a short time after the earthquake. Describe the scene that you see
• California's Water Wars : Produce projects for authentic documents (in English) for distribution to the public
• College sport USA. Write a letter reusing certain elements of vocabulary from the article.
• The Bird Man of the Isles : Write a 400-word article about Graham Ross using the interview as your raw material.
• The Story of the blues - with audio   Write sentences to link the following words in the order given
• Leonard cohen Interview : write an article about Cohen, using the interview as your source.
• London's Notting Hill Carnival -  Describe a day at the carnival, using the words given
• Route 66 - Highway 66 revisited  :   Letter writing, based on information in the article
• Short story - Blue Gum Tree   with audio Retell the story as a local newspaper article. Include certain terms.
• Short story - The Car : with audio   Rewrite the story as told by Shafi in his own words.
• Short Story - Lucky Jim -   Interactive The local coast guard chief had to write a report explaining the events that took place. Complete the sentences of the report using the prompts suggested..
• Tolkien & the Hobbit :   letter writing, based on information in the article. An exchange of letters between Tolkien and Edith.

2. Texts accompanied by free expression - writing / speaking - activities

See also creative writing exercises above..

• College sport USA.  - Rephrase a complex sentence, using the framework given
• Los Angeles - city on the brink -    with audio   -    Interactive  rephrasing exercise, with prompts.
• Save the Everglades -   Interactive rephrasing exercise - passive to active.
• The King, the Monarchy and their future   Interactive rephrasing exercise, with prompts .
• Thanksgiving   with audio  -   Interactive   Rephrase sentences, starting with the prompt given:

Question forming:

• America's Amish - Imagine an interview with Johan, using the question words indicated
• Crime time basketball -   Rearrange the words to make questions that relate to the article
• For Elise - a short story -   with audio   An investigative journalist from New York came to interview Coke Bucknil about the story of Elise Toussaint. Here are the answers to his questions; what were the questions?
• Hillary Clinton - the early years . Form questions from the answers given.
• Orson Welles : Fictitious interview with Orson Welles: what were your questions ?
• Short story - Blue Gum Tree  :   with audio Police interview. Here are the answers, what were the questions ?
• Short Story - Lucky Jim   : Interactive   Here are the answers, what were the questions ?
• Short story - The Car :  with audio Interactive   Police interview. Here are the answers, what were the questions ?
• Steaming on the Mississippi .     with audio Interactive  Make up  questions to which this article provides the answers, using the prompt words given
• Thanksgiving .  with audio Interactive Form questions starting with specific question words, to which the article provides the answer
• Thinking it over with baby .     with audio Interactive  Make up  questions using the words provided, then answer them

Sentence building

• The American way of eating    with audio   Interactive   Using info from the article, write sentences beginning...
• The Mormons - Make up one correctly structured sentence from each of the groups of words below.
• Tolkien & the Hobbit : Interactive Complete sentences using information from the text.

Characterising

• Short story - A suitable job -  Interactive Write a short sentence (at least ten words) to characterise each of these characters mentioned in the story .
• Rodeo - two exercises to explore the question of style

Text contraction / summarizing

• America's Bald Eagles - reduce each paragraph of this article to no more than 20 words,
• America's teenage courts - Reduce the article to four sentences of about 30 words each
• The Bird Man of the Isles   - Write a 400-word article based on this interview.
• College sport USA  - Reduce this article to about half its length.
• Hillary Clinton - the early years   Contract the article to about half its length.
• Just who are the English? Write a 200 word summary of this article.,
• Los Angeles - city on the brink -    with audio   -    Interactive   text contraction exercise, with prompts

Role play activities, oral expression:

• Amerca's Teen courts - Conduct sessions of the teen court in class, using the method indicated
• Amerca's Deserts - . with audio A citizens' meeting is held as the climate gets drier and drier.
• The Bird Man of the Isles : Pair work : recreate the interview, using the original questions.
• Ellis Island -  with audio   Structured role play, with roles and theme
• The electric car revolution   Free expression / discussion :discuss the future of electric cars..
• GM crops - Frankenstein foods ?   Role-play exercise - 5 roles
• NEW   Los Angeles - city on the brink -    with audio   -  Role-play exercise - 2 - 4 roles
• Save the Everglades -   Structured role play exercise , with roles and theme
• A Town called Sturgis -  Imagine a radio sketch based on the article

3. Grammar points - texts focusing on specific grammar points:

Article use.

• Pubs and their signs   Interactive Complete an extract from the text, adding articles where necessary.
• Thanksgiving .  with audio   Interactive  Choose the correct article from the multiple choice dropdown lists
• Skyscrapers . Interactive Put in the definite articles in an extract from the text, but only when they are needed.
• Fox-Talbot and the origins of photography :  cloze exercise. Add articles when and only when they are needed.

Nouns and adjectives

• Skiing in the wind :   explain the meaning of the many compound nouns used in the article.
• California's Water Wars - Memory and logic - complete an extract from the text, using the qualifiers (adjectives, etc.) listed.
• College sport USA -   Interactive  Slide or copy the missing nouns and andjectives into an extract from the text

Prepositions

• Nevada and its Extraterrestrials   Interactive Replace all the missing prepositions and adverbs in this extract from the article .
• The story of Ellis Island   with audio Complete these sentences with the appropriate prepositions   
• America's Amish - Interactive Replace all the missing prepositions in this extract from the article.
• Save the Everglades - Replace all the missing prepositions in this extract from the article.
• Smugglers   Interactive   Replace all the missing prepositions in this extract from the article   .

Verbs :  participles, tenses, voice

• Martin Luther King -  with audio   Interactive   Blank-fill  (cloze) exercise:  replace the verbs and participles , choosing the correct form.
• America's teenage courts -   Interactive   Blank-fill : put the verbs  into the correct form
• From Magna Carta to American democracy -   Interactive   Blank-fill :   Multiple choice cloze verb form exercise, past tenses and other forms.
• Just who are the English? Interactive   blank-fill :   Multiple choice cloze verb form exercise.
• Rodeo, the sport of the West  - Interactive   blank-fill exercise: present and past participles , words in  -ing and -ed.
• Save the Everglades -   Interactive rephrasing exercise passive to active.
• Skiing in the wind :  Interactive     rephrasing exercise active to passive , using the prompts indicated.
• The Story of the jet plane -   with audio   Interactive Replace all the missing -ing and -ed endings in this extract.

Verbs : modals and auxiliaries

• Henry Ford   with audio   Interactive Blank-fill  - Replace missing modal verbs or auxiliaries in extracts from the article
• John Lennon   Interactive Blank-fill  - Replace missing modal verbs or auxiliaries in these extracts from the article

Verbs : Dependent and consecutive verbs - gerund or infinitive

• Henry Ford   with audio   Interactive Blank-fill  -  Put the verb into the correct form

Prepositional and phrasal verbs

• Rodeo : Have students pick out and explain the phrasal/prepositional verbs used.
• Woody Guthrie - Match the prepositional verbs listed with their meanings.

Relative pronouns and adjectives

• All you need is love with audio - Interactive Replace the missing relatives (that, which, who, whom,) or nominal relatives ( what, how) in this extract
• Log cabins and the White House -      Multiple choice cloze  exercise on relative pronouns and adjectives. .
• The Mormons - Interactive  Replace the missing relative pronoun in these sentences: (which, what or whose?)

Time clauses:

• The story of Ellis Island  - with audio   match phrases and add a time clause.
• Britain at any cost ? :   Discover the different ways in which negation is expressed in this article
• Guy Fawkes and Bonfire Night :   Interactive cloze / gap-fill exercise featuring negative structures

Punctuation

• Short story - The Car :  with audio Interactive   Replace all the missing punctuation in this extract from the story.
• Woody Guthrie -  Replace all the missing punctuation in this extract from the article .

4. Texts with words and vocabulary exercises

Vocabulary exercises : general – including  cloze (gap-fill) exercises and word formation exercises.

• America's Bald Eagles : What expressions, used in the original article, mean...?
• Britain - at any cost ?  Find the words in the text that mean.....
• Crime time basketball -   Interactive   CAE/ CPE style open cloze exercise
• Charles Babbage   Explain, in English, the following words and expressions
• The Decline of Wasp America -     Interactive   multiple choice  vocabulary exercise and synonym finding
• Gettysburg   Interactive   Two multiple choice cloze vocabulary exercises
• GM crops - Frankenstein foods     Interactive   Cloze exercis e . Complete an extract from the text. Some cases require the original expression, others require  alternatives.
• Life in Umbridge - living in the country - Words and structures Complete sentences using appropriate words in the right structure.
• Mark Twain and the frogs of Calaveras County    with audio   Gap-fill exercise  - words and parts of words
• Meet Robodog.   Technical language : Explain the meaning of the following expressions:
• Mississippi Music - Missing words cloze exercise.  Interactive - Slide the missing words into the correct gaps in the section about Elvis Presley
• Rosa Parks - Antonyms - Find the opposites of certain words that are used in the article.
• Shakespeare 400 years on - Interactive  General text study exercises.
• Short story - the Car    Interactive   MCQ cloze exercise. Select the closest equivalent of the words and expressions used in the story:
• The Queen who almost wsn't -   Interactive with audio  Word families - find nouns derived from root words
• Smugglers :   Explain the italicized expressions in the article; then make up sentences reusing them
• The Yukon quest - Synonyms - find the expressions, used in the text, that could be rephrased using the following words.

Vocabulary - multiple choice exercises, mostly interactive cloze exercises  

• The American way of eating    with audio Interactive MCQ cloze  exercise - (CAE style)
• Aeroponics - farming without fields -   with audio   Interactive MCQ cloze   Choose the nearest equivalent of each of the following expressions: 
• America's Drive-in movie theaters Interactive   Interactive MCQ cloze exercise - choose missing words from a dropdown list
• Who killed Martin Luther King   with audio   MCQ . Select the alternatives that are closest in meaning.
• The electric car revolution   Interactive MCQ cloze exercise. Expressions : select the bst alternatives from the drop-down lists.
• Mardi Gras in New Orleans Interactive MCQ cloze exercise. - vocaqbulary. Select the correct words from dropdown lists
• Los Angeles - city on the brink -    with audio   -    Interactive   multiple choice cloze vocabulary exercise
• Rosa Parks  - MCQ . Select the best alternative for the following words or phrases that occur in the article
• Britain at any cost ? :   Find the words in the,article which have the meaning of ...
• Short story : Lucky Jim  - Interactive MCQ cloze exercise . Select nearest equivalents suggested in the dropdown boxes.
• Short story - A suitable job -  Interactive MCQ cloze exercise. . From the drop-down lists,choose the meaning that most closely corresponds to words or phrases.
• Skiing in the wind :  Interactive MCQ cloze exercise. Options included in the actual text.
• The King, the Monarchy and their future   Interactive MCQ cloze exercise . Select nearest equivalents suggested in the dropdown boxes.
• Who is Angelyne ?   MCQ . Select the nearest equivalent to the following words as used in the article.
• Route 66 - Highway 66 revisited : MCQ   Select the nearest equivalent for the following words and phrases

Vocabulary : words and meaning

• Agatha Christie - As   Uses and meanings of the word as . .
• The electric car revolution   Interactive   Explain the meanings of these words and expressions.
• The story of the blues : with audio  Explain the use of the following expressions.
• Robodog:  Compound nouns  and noun phrases in technical English. Explain the meanings of the examples listed.
• Stephen Hawking : Explain expressions in your own words:

Vocabulary : Synonyms and antonyms

• Britain's Chinese come out on top - Rephrasing - complete an extract from the article using alternative words and expressions
• From Magna Carta to American democracy -   Interactive Synonyms and antonyms exercises
• The Yukon quest - Find the expressions, used in the text, that could be rephrased using the following words.
• Short story - the Car    with audio Interactive  MCQ .   Select the best synonym from the dropdown list:

Word endings - word formation

• Aeroponics - farming without fields -   with audio Interactive   Add the missing word endings in this extract.
• Americans fat and thin :   Interactive Add the necessary word endings, and words, to complete this extract
• America's bald eagles :   Interactive Add the necessary word endings, and words, to complete this extract
• California's earthquake risk Interactive  Replace the missing word-endings in two extracts from the article .
• Charles Darwin     Interactive Add the necessary word endings to complete this extract
• Fox-Talbot and the origins of photography :  word exploration, technical language - compound adjectives.
• From Magna Carta to American democracy -   Interactive   Add the missing word endings in this extract.
• Log cabins and the White House -     Add the missing word endings in this extract.
• Stephen Hawking  - Interactive online exercise (click) - Without referring back to the article, try to put in all the correct endings
• Wall street culture   Interactive Replace the missing word endings.  
• Woody Guthrie - Interactive   Replace the missing word endings in this short extract from the article

Word search

• America's teenage courts - Find words or expresions in the text which mean...
• Americans fat and thin . Here are some synonyms : find the original words
• Agatha Christie -  Interactive   Reorganise the words in the boxes to make up correctly structured sentences .
• Americans fat and thin .  Rearrange words to make correctly formed questions, then answer the questions.
• Bodie - where the west was wildest - Interactive Reconstruct sentences putting the words given into the right order.

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• C1 Advanced (CAE)
• Reading / Use of English
• Cambridge exams

Free Practice Tests for learners of English

Cambridge english: c1 advanced (cae) reading & use of english.

Difficulty level : C1 / advanced What is the Cambridge Advanced Reading & Use of English test like? The test has 8 parts and takes 90 minutes:

• Part 1 - Multiple-choice cloze
• Part 2 - Open cloze
• Part 3 - Word formation
• Part 4 - Key word transformations
• Part 5 - text with multiple-choice questions
• Part 6 - Cross-text multiple matching
• Part 7 - text with paragraphs missing
• Part 8 - Multiple matching

Scoring There are 56 questions in the Cambridge Advanced Reading & Use of English test. It makes up 40% of the entire exam.

How to prepare for the Cambridge Advanced Reading & Use of English test

• This paper tests your knowledge of reading, vocabulary and grammar.
• Read as much as possible, and use a dictionary to help you learn new words
• Use a grammar book to help you understand sentence structure
• Read the instructions carefully before you start each part
• Correct spelling is necessary. Get into the habit of checking the spelling of words
• Read the surrounding context before giving an answer
• Don’t give alternative answers for any questions
• Read widely. The texts used in the reading can be: newspapers, magazines, journals, non-literary books, leaflets, brochures, etc
• Read the instructions carefully before you start
• Read all the text before you answer any questions
• Remember that questions come in the same order as the answers in the text in the multiple-choice part of the paper.

Reading / Use of English test 1

• Reading Use of English 1  
• Reading Use of English 2  
• Reading Use of English 3  
• Reading Use of English 4  
• Reading Use of English 5  
• Reading Use of English 6  
• Reading Use of English 7  
• Reading Use of English 8  
• Reading Use of English Test 2  

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Are you an advanced (CEFR level C1) learner of English? Practise and improve your reading skills with these texts and exercises.

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The Camino de Santiago

The snaking routes of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage convene at the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, the capital of north-west Spain’s Galicia region and the alleged burial site of St James. For more than 1,000 years, people have made their way along these paths to pay homage to the apostle, but for a small number of travellers who arrive in the hallowed city, the journey isn’t yet complete.

From the city’s main square, another, lesser-known path creeps west. The cathedral spires fade into the distance as the trail leaves the city and continues for 90km to the raging beast that is the Atlantic Ocean – and Cape Finisterre. Taken from the Latin words finis, meaning end’, and terra meaning Earth’, this windswept corner of Spain has a spiritual history stretching back more than four millennia.

Geographically speaking, Cape Finisterre is of course not the end of the world – nor even the most westerly point of mainland Europe as is sometimes claimed (Cape Roca in Portugal holds this distinction). But Cape Finisterre is an area whose mythical pull has drawn travellers since the time of antiquity. Pilgrims were brought here by religion, by adventure or simply to stand at the edge of the then-known world and stare out at the Mare Tenebrosum, the Sea of Darkness.

Since 1500, this stretch of coastline, forebodingly known to locals as Costa da Morte, or Coast of Death, has witnessed numerous major shipwrecks. The weather can be violently unpredictable, with merciless rocky outcrops to match. Spain’s worst ecological disaster began here on 13 November 2002, when the oil tanker Prestige was caught in a storm off the coast of Finisterre and sank a week later. The small town of Fisterra sits above a south-facing promontory, Monte Facho, a gentle hill with commanding views around it. Fisterra is like many other towns on this stretch of coast; wrapped around a quaint fishing port with a long beach curling east, away from the ocean. In truth, it is far from the rip-roaring, ‘end-of-the world’ town you might imagine.

The Romans named those who lived here Gallaeci – Celts – because their light skin and fair hair resembled that of the tribes in Gaul – now France. The Gallaeci were animists, meaning they held strong beliefs that everything in the physical world, be it the sun, stars, rocks, trees or water, all possessed a spiritual entity. There is a significance about rocks and water coming together, because they are of course both non-negotiable, and there’s a deep human emotion connected with these natural elements, said Colin Jones, chairman of the Confraternity of St James, an organisation specialising in information on the Camino de Santiago.

The densely forested Monte Facho, criss-crossed by small trails, rises to a height of nearly 240m. Its eastern face gently rolls down into the town, while the western flank plummets dramatically into the Atlantic Ocean. Nestled in the undergrowth on the eastern side, overlooking the harbour, lie the ruins of the San Guillermo Hermitage. It was at this same spot that the conquering Romans first set eyes on a simple stone temple built by the Gallaeci to honour the sun the Ara Solis consisting of four granite columns and a slender dome above, as described by Galician historian Benito Vicetto. Sadly, nothing remains today of the Ara Solis, which is believed to have been a place of pagan sun worship. For the Romans, the Ara Solis, situated at what they considered the end of the known world and facing the setting sun each evening, must have been a captivating and enigmatic sight.

Are you a ‘slumper’?

Amanda Stevens cured her bad posture – and her chronic back pain – with the Alexander technique.

Many people will have heard of the Alexander technique but have only a vague idea what it is about. Until earlier this year, I didn’t have the faintest idea about it – and saw no reason to think I should. But, hunched over a computer screen one day, I noticed that the neck and backache I regularly suffered were more painful than usual. I was brought up to think that the preferred way of dealing with aches and pains is to do nothing and hope they’ll go away, but I eventually allowed myself to be dragged along by a friend of mine to talk to an osteopath who had performed wonders on her. After examining me, the osteopath said: I can treat the symptoms by massaging your neck and upper back. But you actually have bad posture. That is what you need to get sorted out. Go off and learn the Alexander technique.’

I had regularly been told by friends and family that I tend to slouch in chairs but had been under the impression that bad posture was something one was born with and could do nothing about. With hindsight, it’s hard to believe just how far off the mark I was. Dentists and car mechanics, among others, tend to develop bad posture from leaning over patients or engine bays. Those of us who are mothers often stress and strain their necks and backs lifting and carrying children, and those who sit in front of computers all day are almost certainly not doing our bodies any favours.

After a little searching online, I found an Alexander technique teacher, Teresa Stirling, in my area of town and booked a first appointment. Three months later I am walking straighter and sitting better, while my neck and back pain are things of the past. I feel taller, too, which I may be imagining, but the technique can increase your height by up to five centimetres if you were badly slumped beforehand.

The teaching focuses on the neck, head and back. It trains you to use your body less harshly and to carry out the sorts of movements and actions that we do all the time with less effort. There is very little effort in the lessons themselves, which sets apart the Alexander technique from pilates or yoga, which are exercise-based. A typical lesson involves standing in front of a chair and learning to sit and stand with minimal effort. You spend some time lying on a bench with your knees bent to straighten the spine and relax your body while the teacher moves your arms and legs to train you to move them correctly.

The key is learning to break the bad habits accumulated over years. Try, for example, folding your arms the opposite way to normal. It feels odd, doesn’t it? This is an example of a habit the body has formed which can be hard to break. Many of us carry our heads too far back and tilted skywards. The technique teaches you to let go of the muscles holding the head back, allowing it to resume its natural place on the summit of our spines. The head weighs four to six kilos, so any misalignment can cause problems for the neck and body.

The Alexander technique teaches you to observe how you use your body and how others use theirs – usually badly. Look how a colleague slumps back in a chair with his or her legs crossed. That puts all sorts of stresses and strains on the body. Even swimming can harm the neck. The Alexander technique can teach you to swim better, concentrating on technique rather than clocking up lengths.

So who was Alexander and how did he come up with the technique? Frederick Matthias Alexander, an Australian theatrical orator born in 1869, found in his youth that his voice was failing during performances. He analysed himself and realised his posture was bad. He worked on improving it, with dramatic results. He brought his technique to London 100 years ago and quickly gathered a following that included some very famous people. He died in 1955, having established a teacher-training school in London, which is thriving today.

So if you are slouching along the road one day, feeling weighed down by your troubles, give a thought to the Alexander technique. It could help you walk tall again.

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• Academia CL
• Exams Granada

C1 Advanced

Reading & Use of English

Reading comprehension practice:.

• Advanced Reading- Multiple Choice_ Flagging out
• Advanced Reading- Multiple Choice_ Taxation
• Advanced Reading -Paragraph Sequence Hacking
• Advanced Reading – Deforestation
• Advanced Reading – Children’s Dolls
• Advanced Reading – Information scanning- Cathedral Cities of England
• Advanced Reading – Paragraph sequence- The business of sport
• Advanced Reading – Multiple Matching – Private Schools
• Advanced Reading – Anglo-Indian Etymology
• Advanced Reading – Cloze mulitple Matching – Olympic Games
• Advanced Reading – Bull-Baiting
• Advanced Reading – Bitten by a Serpent
• Advanced Reading – Future of Military Installations
• Advanced Reading – Parrots
• ADVANCED – READING – CHRISTMAS SUPERSTITIONS
• ADVANCED – READING – FAIRYTALE OF NEW YORK

 Use of English Practice :

• Advanced Open Cloze – Stress
• Advanced Open Cloze – Online Consumerism
• Advanced Open Cloze – Phobias 
• Advanced Open Cloze  – The lottery
• Advanced Open Cloze  – The welsh
• Advanced Open Cloze  – Gun Contal in the USA
• Advanced Use of English- Error Recognition
• Advanced Use of English- Cloze Usage- The one-eyed game-tester
• Advanced Use of English- Cloze Usage- Health and cigarettes
• Advanced Use of English- Cloze Usage- A discontented parent
• Advanced Use of English – Causative Have
• Advanced Use of English – Inversion Error Exercise
• Advanced Use of English – The Comparatives Gap Fill Quiz
• Advanced Use of English – Idioms of Advice
• Advanced Use of English – Idioms Worksheet 1
• Advanced Use of English- Sentence Transformation
• Advanced Use of English – Word Transformation
• Advanced Use of English- Word Transformation – 1
• Advanced Structure and Meaning – Living longer
• Advanced Correct Word Register. The complaint
• Advanced  Key Word Transformations
• Advanced Key Word Transformations 1

CL Granada » Recursos Idiomas » C1 Advanced » Reading & Use of English