Reading Comprehension: Answer Keys for English Texts on Au Pairs, the Camino de Santiago, Digital Tools, Teen Spirit, Tobacco Law and Degrowth

READING: WHAT THE AU PAIR SAW

1. c. what Slovakian au pairs think about British families.
2. b. the idea of bringing up children and working at the same time.
3. a. is not shared by Slovakian au pairs.
4. d. they don't care enough about their children.
5. b. do not spend enough time with their children.
6. a. don't feed their children healthily.
7. b. wonderful.
8. d. it's a way of learning a language and earning some money.

The Camino de Santiago: The English Way

1. c. and a man gave him directions even before he asked.
2. a. Pilgrims started to come to Santiago in the 12th century.
3. b. you just pay a small amount to spend a night in an albergue.
4. d. Pilgrims who take on the Camino expect absolute forgiveness.
5. d. doesn't take as long to complete as the other routes.
6. a. as if he was in England because the landscape was similar to that of Cornwall.
7. c. he wanted to experience a cheap walking holiday.
8. d. he had completed the Camino.

DIGITAL AND TRADITIONAL TOOLS

1. d. thinks personal friendships are stronger than those made through the net.
2. b. the power of bringing people together in forums of discussion and protest.
3. a. if they are used alongside traditional forms of communication.
4. a. combine the best of both worlds by bringing our digital world onto our real one.
5. c. in the non-digital world.
6. d. He finds it valuable if you know how to extract its benefits.
7. a. positive.
8. d. the internet may become the most powerful political tool in the future.

TEEN SPIRIT: THE SECRET LIFE OF BRITAIN'S TEENAGE BOYS

1. Nas wants to join the Air Forces… because he has always dreamt of becoming a pilot.
2. When Nas walks to the park with his friends… they have mixed feelings at the adults' reactions to them.
3. According to the text, "a walker" is… a person that delivers the paper to people's houses.
4. Why does Nas feel his mother confides in him now? Because… their relationship has changed and she now explains things to him.
5. The main reason Nas does not speak much slang is that… African parents encourage their children to use language correctly.
6. According to the text, what is Nas's opinion about the "cool group" at school? He disapproves of their drinking and thinks they take no interest in school.
7. When the text argues that the kids "are colour blind", it is trying to make the point that… there is no racist attitude to be detected among these children.
8. On the whole, the text suggests that… Nas's generation has been unjustly demonized.

MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT VOTE AGAINST TOBACCO

1. According to the article, under the new UK Government's law… tobacco will no longer be displayed at points of sale.
2. Mr. McCartney condemns vending machines because he thinks they… legally provide a product that causes death.
3. Health and anti-smoking activists have long been campaigning… to stop the presence of tobacco machines in pubs.
4. Deborah Arnott welcomes the new legislation because she thinks… it reinforces the existing law against easy access to addictive products.
5. According to Harpal Kumar, Cancer Research UK's chief executive, the new law will reduce the percentage of addictions amongst youngsters.
6. Conservative members of Parliament opposed the ban on the display of cigarettes. Davies argues that… in time of recession shop-keepers will lose business.
7. Newsagents are angry and have said they would… campaign against Labour vote at the general election.
8. Health Minister Gillian Merror is convinced that the new law will… help prevent children from becoming potential smokers.

DEGROWTH: WHEN LESS IS MORE

1. According to the text, the health of the planet depends on…
c) people consuming less than at present.
2. "Degrowth" is…
d) a new attitude concerning consumerism.
3. Our economic model is based on…
b) permanent growth.
4. According to the text, the resources of the planet…
a) might not be enough in the near future.
5. Santiago Vilanova believes that…
d) the well-being of people is not necessarily related to having more resources.
6. People in "Degrowth" organisations think…
c) that progress does not depend only on growth.
7. "Degrowth" supporters are…
d) usually against working many hours.
8. According to Carlos Taibo, more Americans say that they are…
a) less happy now despite being richer.