2. Read the descriptions of two events and check your ideas for exercise 1. What do you think of each prank? Use the adjectives below or your own ideas.

childish   clever   cruel   funny   predictable

Sarah_B: Tell us about pranks you played on friends or family members! 

Dave338: When I was about nine years old, I bought an enormous plastic spider from a joke shop. I couldn't wait to play a prank on my sister with it. One morning, I put it in the shower just before my big sister went into the bathroom. I waited outside the door. I heard a really loud scream and my sister ran out of the bathroom. I thought it was really funny, but she was really cross when she found out, and chased me round the house. I feel bad about it now, it took her ages to get over it because she was so shocked.

Kate44: Last February, I sent my brother a Valentine's card. In the card, I wrote 'Be my Valentine! With love from ???’, and I tried to disguise my handwriting. When he opened it, he looked carefully at the writing, and I thought for a moment he realised it was from me. But there was a girl in his class who he liked, and he thought the card was from her. He seemed really pleased and he decided to ask her out, and now they're going out! Eventually, he found out she didn't send it. He immediately suspected me, so I owned up. He was a bit cross, but he forgave me because of the happy ending.

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 following questions.

‘A good book for children should simply be a good book in its own right.' These are the words of Mollie Hunter, a well known author of books for youngsters. Born and bred near Edinburgh, Mollie has devoted her talents to writing primarily for young people. She firmly believes that there is always and should always be a wider audience for any good book whatever its main market. In Mollie's opinion it is essential to make full use of language and she enjoys telling a story, which is what every writer should be doing: 'If you aren't telling a story, you're a very dead writer indeed,' she says.

With the chief function of a writer being to entertain, Molly is indeed an entertainer. 'I have this great love of not only the meaning of language but of the music of language,' she says. This love goes back to early childhood. 'I've told stories all my life. I had a school teacher who used to ask us what we would like to be when we grew up and, because my family always had dogs, and I was very good at handling them, I said I wanted to work with dogs, and the teacher always said "Nonsense, Mollie dear, you'll be a writer." So eventually I thought that this woman must have something, since she was a good teacher - and I decided when I was nine that I would be a writer.’

This childhood intention is described in her novel, A Sound of Chariots, which although written in the third person is clearly autobiographical and gives a picture both of Mollie's ambition and her struggle towards its achievement.

Thoughts of her childhood inevitably brought thoughts of the time when her home was still a village with buttercup meadows and strawberry fields - sadly now covered with modern houses. 'I was once taken back to see it and I felt that somebody had lain dirty hands all over my childhood. I'll never go back,' she said. 'Never.' 'When I set one of my books in Scotland,' she said, 'I can recapture my romantic feelings as a child playing in those fields, or watching the village blacksmith at work. And that's important, because children now know so much so early that romance can't exist for them, as it did for us.'

To this day, Mollie has a lively affection for children, which is reflected in the love she has for her writing. 'When we have visitors with children the adults always say, "If you go to visit Mollie, she'll spend more time with the children." They don't realise that children are much more interesting company. I've heard all the adults have to say before. The children have something new.' 

What do we learn about Mollie Hunter as a very young child?

A. She didn’t enjoy writing stories 

B. She didn’t have any particular ambitions

C. She didn’t expect to become a writer 

D. She didn’t respect her teacher’s views 

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 following questions.

‘A good book for children should simply be a good book in its own right.' These are the words of Mollie Hunter, a well known author of books for youngsters. Born and bred near Edinburgh, Mollie has devoted her talents to writing primarily for young people. She firmly believes that there is always and should always be a wider audience for any good book whatever its main market. In Mollie's opinion it is essential to make full use of language and she enjoys telling a story, which is what every writer should be doing: 'If you aren't telling a story, you're a very dead writer indeed,' she says.

With the chief function of a writer being to entertain, Molly is indeed an entertainer. 'I have this great love of not only the meaning of language but of the music of language,' she says. This love goes back to early childhood. 'I've told stories all my life. I had a school teacher who used to ask us what we would like to be when we grew up and, because my family always had dogs, and I was very good at handling them, I said I wanted to work with dogs, and the teacher always said "Nonsense, Mollie dear, you'll be a writer." So eventually I thought that this woman must have something, since she was a good teacher - and I decided when I was nine that I would be a writer.’

This childhood intention is described in her novel, A Sound of Chariots, which although written in the third person is clearly autobiographical and gives a picture both of Mollie's ambition and her struggle towards its achievement.

Thoughts of her childhood inevitably brought thoughts of the time when her home was still a village with buttercup meadows and strawberry fields - sadly now covered with modern houses. 'I was once taken back to see it and I felt that somebody had lain dirty hands all over my childhood. I'll never go back,' she said. 'Never.' 'When I set one of my books in Scotland,' she said, 'I can recapture my romantic feelings as a child playing in those fields, or watching the village blacksmith at work. And that's important, because children now know so much so early that romance can't exist for them, as it did for us.'

To this day, Mollie has a lively affection for children, which is reflected in the love she has for her writing. 'When we have visitors with children the adults always say, "If you go to visit Mollie, she'll spend more time with the children." They don't realise that children are much more interesting company. I've heard all the adults have to say before. The children have something new.'

In comparison with children of earlier years, Mollie feels that modern children are _____. 

A. better informed 

B. more intelligent 

C. less interested in fiction 

D. less keen to learn 

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 following questions.

‘A good book for children should simply be a good book in its own right.' These are the words of Mollie Hunter, a well known author of books for youngsters. Born and bred near Edinburgh, Mollie has devoted her talents to writing primarily for young people. She firmly believes that there is always and should always be a wider audience for any good book whatever its main market. In Mollie's opinion it is essential to make full use of language and she enjoys telling a story, which is what every writer should be doing: 'If you aren't telling a story, you're a very dead writer indeed,' she says.

With the chief function of a writer being to entertain, Molly is indeed an entertainer. 'I have this great love of not only the meaning of language but of the music of language,' she says. This love goes back to early childhood. 'I've told stories all my life. I had a school teacher who used to ask us what we would like to be when we grew up and, because my family always had dogs, and I was very good at handling them, I said I wanted to work with dogs, and the teacher always said "Nonsense, Mollie dear, you'll be a writer." So eventually I thought that this woman must have something, since she was a good teacher - and I decided when I was nine that I would be a writer.’

This childhood intention is described in her novel, A Sound of Chariots, which although written in the third person is clearly autobiographical and gives a picture both of Mollie's ambition and her struggle towards its achievement.

Thoughts of her childhood inevitably brought thoughts of the time when her home was still a village with buttercup meadows and strawberry fields - sadly now covered with modern houses. 'I was once taken back to see it and I felt that somebody had lain dirty hands all over my childhood. I'll never go back,' she said. 'Never.' 'When I set one of my books in Scotland,' she said, 'I can recapture my romantic feelings as a child playing in those fields, or watching the village blacksmith at work. And that's important, because children now know so much so early that romance can't exist for them, as it did for us.'

To this day, Mollie has a lively affection for children, which is reflected in the love she has for her writing. 'When we have visitors with children the adults always say, "If you go to visit Mollie, she'll spend more time with the children." They don't realise that children are much more interesting company. I've heard all the adults have to say before. The children have something new.'

How does Mollie feel about what has happened to her birthplace? 

A. surprised 

B. ashamed 

C. disappointed 

D. confused 

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 following questions.

‘A good book for children should simply be a good book in its own right.' These are the words of Mollie Hunter, a well known author of books for youngsters. Born and bred near Edinburgh, Mollie has devoted her talents to writing primarily for young people. She firmly believes that there is always and should always be a wider audience for any good book whatever its main market. In Mollie's opinion it is essential to make full use of language and she enjoys telling a story, which is what every writer should be doing: 'If you aren't telling a story, you're a very dead writer indeed,' she says.

With the chief function of a writer being to entertain, Molly is indeed an entertainer. 'I have this great love of not only the meaning of language but of the music of language,' she says. This love goes back to early childhood. 'I've told stories all my life. I had a school teacher who used to ask us what we would like to be when we grew up and, because my family always had dogs, and I was very good at handling them, I said I wanted to work with dogs, and the teacher always said "Nonsense, Mollie dear, you'll be a writer." So eventually I thought that this woman must have something, since she was a good teacher - and I decided when I was nine that I would be a writer.’

This childhood intention is described in her novel, A Sound of Chariots, which although written in the third person is clearly autobiographical and gives a picture both of Mollie's ambition and her struggle towards its achievement.

Thoughts of her childhood inevitably brought thoughts of the time when her home was still a village with buttercup meadows and strawberry fields - sadly now covered with modern houses. 'I was once taken back to see it and I felt that somebody had lain dirty hands all over my childhood. I'll never go back,' she said. 'Never.' 'When I set one of my books in Scotland,' she said, 'I can recapture my romantic feelings as a child playing in those fields, or watching the village blacksmith at work. And that's important, because children now know so much so early that romance can't exist for them, as it did for us.'

To this day, Mollie has a lively affection for children, which is reflected in the love she has for her writing. 'When we have visitors with children the adults always say, "If you go to visit Mollie, she'll spend more time with the children." They don't realise that children are much more interesting company. I've heard all the adults have to say before. The children have something new.'

What does Mollie Hunter feel about the nature of a good book?

A. It should be based on original ideas 

B. It should not aim at a narrow audience 

C. It should not include too much information 

D. It should be attractive to young readers

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 following questions.

‘A good book for children should simply be a good book in its own right.' These are the words of Mollie Hunter, a well known author of books for youngsters. Born and bred near Edinburgh, Mollie has devoted her talents to writing primarily for young people. She firmly believes that there is always and should always be a wider audience for any good book whatever its main market. In Mollie's opinion it is essential to make full use of language and she enjoys telling a story, which is what every writer should be doing: 'If you aren't telling a story, you're a very dead writer indeed,' she says.

With the chief function of a writer being to entertain, Molly is indeed an entertainer. 'I have this great love of not only the meaning of language but of the music of language,' she says. This love goes back to early childhood. 'I've told stories all my life. I had a school teacher who used to ask us what we would like to be when we grew up and, because my family always had dogs, and I was very good at handling them, I said I wanted to work with dogs, and the teacher always said "Nonsense, Mollie dear, you'll be a writer." So eventually I thought that this woman must have something, since she was a good teacher - and I decided when I was nine that I would be a writer.’

This childhood intention is described in her novel, A Sound of Chariots, which although written in the third person is clearly autobiographical and gives a picture both of Mollie's ambition and her struggle towards its achievement.

Thoughts of her childhood inevitably brought thoughts of the time when her home was still a village with buttercup meadows and strawberry fields - sadly now covered with modern houses. 'I was once taken back to see it and I felt that somebody had lain dirty hands all over my childhood. I'll never go back,' she said. 'Never.' 'When I set one of my books in Scotland,' she said, 'I can recapture my romantic feelings as a child playing in those fields, or watching the village blacksmith at work. And that's important, because children now know so much so early that romance can't exist for them, as it did for us.'

To this day, Mollie has a lively affection for children, which is reflected in the love she has for her writing. 'When we have visitors with children the adults always say, "If you go to visit Mollie, she'll spend more time with the children." They don't realise that children are much more interesting company. I've heard all the adults have to say before. The children have something new.' 

In Molie Hunter’s opinion, one sign of a poor writer is ________. 

A. complicated ideas 

B. the weakness of the description 

C. lifeless characters 

D. the absence of a story 

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 following questions.

‘A good book for children should simply be a good book in its own right.' These are the words of Mollie Hunter, a well known author of books for youngsters. Born and bred near Edinburgh, Mollie has devoted her talents to writing primarily for young people. She firmly believes that there is always and should always be a wider audience for any good book whatever its main market. In Mollie's opinion it is essential to make full use of language and she enjoys telling a story, which is what every writer should be doing: 'If you aren't telling a story, you're a very dead writer indeed,' she says.

With the chief function of a writer being to entertain, Molly is indeed an entertainer. 'I have this great love of not only the meaning of language but of the music of language,' she says. This love goes back to early childhood. 'I've told stories all my life. I had a school teacher who used to ask us what we would like to be when we grew up and, because my family always had dogs, and I was very good at handling them, I said I wanted to work with dogs, and the teacher always said "Nonsense, Mollie dear, you'll be a writer." So eventually I thought that this woman must have something, since she was a good teacher - and I decided when I was nine that I would be a writer.’

This childhood intention is described in her novel, A Sound of Chariots, which although written in the third person is clearly autobiographical and gives a picture both of Mollie's ambition and her struggle towards its achievement.

Thoughts of her childhood inevitably brought thoughts of the time when her home was still a village with buttercup meadows and strawberry fields - sadly now covered with modern houses. 'I was once taken back to see it and I felt that somebody had lain dirty hands all over my childhood. I'll never go back,' she said. 'Never.' 'When I set one of my books in Scotland,' she said, 'I can recapture my romantic feelings as a child playing in those fields, or watching the village blacksmith at work. And that's important, because children now know so much so early that romance can't exist for them, as it did for us.'

To this day, Mollie has a lively affection for children, which is reflected in the love she has for her writing. 'When we have visitors with children the adults always say, "If you go to visit Mollie, she'll spend more time with the children." They don't realise that children are much more interesting company. I've heard all the adults have to say before. The children have something new.'

What is the writer’s purpose in this text? 

A. to provide information for Mollie Hunter’s exsisting readers 

B. to introduce Mollie Hunter’s work to a wider audience 

C. to describe Mollie Hunter’s most successful books 

D. to share her enjoyment of Mollie Hunter’s books 

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 following questions.

‘A good book for children should simply be a good book in its own right.' These are the words of Mollie Hunter, a well known author of books for youngsters. Born and bred near Edinburgh, Mollie has devoted her talents to writing primarily for young people. She firmly believes that there is always and should always be a wider audience for any good book whatever its main market. In Mollie's opinion it is essential to make full use of language and she enjoys telling a story, which is what every writer should be doing: 'If you aren't telling a story, you're a very dead writer indeed,' she says.

With the chief function of a writer being to entertain, Molly is indeed an entertainer. 'I have this great love of not only the meaning of language but of the music of language,' she says. This love goes back to early childhood. 'I've told stories all my life. I had a school teacher who used to ask us what we would like to be when we grew up and, because my family always had dogs, and I was very good at handling them, I said I wanted to work with dogs, and the teacher always said "Nonsense, Mollie dear, you'll be a writer." So eventually I thought that this woman must have something, since she was a good teacher - and I decided when I was nine that I would be a writer.’

This childhood intention is described in her novel, A Sound of Chariots, which although written in the third person is clearly autobiographical and gives a picture both of Mollie's ambition and her struggle towards its achievement.

Thoughts of her childhood inevitably brought thoughts of the time when her home was still a village with buttercup meadows and strawberry fields - sadly now covered with modern houses. 'I was once taken back to see it and I felt that somebody had lain dirty hands all over my childhood. I'll never go back,' she said. 'Never.' 'When I set one of my books in Scotland,' she said, 'I can recapture my romantic feelings as a child playing in those fields, or watching the village blacksmith at work. And that's important, because children now know so much so early that romance can't exist for them, as it did for us.'

To this day, Mollie has a lively affection for children, which is reflected in the love she has for her writing. 'When we have visitors with children the adults always say, "If you go to visit Mollie, she'll spend more time with the children." They don't realise that children are much more interesting company. I've heard all the adults have to say before. The children have something new.'

Mollie’s adult visitors generally discover that _____.

A. she talks a lot about her work 

B. she is a very generous person 

C. she pays more attention to their children 

D. she is interesting company