MY FIRST DRVING TEST: READING COMPREHENSION (Intermediate) (EXERCISE I73E214)

1.       Complete the text below with words from the box.

after     also     as soon as     even      eventually      of course        then

I will never forget the day I took my driving test for the first time. I had had about 20 lessons with a driving instructor and I’d ¹________________ had a lot of practice with my mother in her car, so I was very optimistic.

The day of the test arrived and I was feeling very nervous. My driving instructor took me to the test center and introduced me to the examiner. He was an ex-army officer with a big moustache and his eyes were cold and unfriendly.

I was taking the test in my mother’s car because I was more used to driving it than the driving school’s car.

I started the engine and drove slowly and carefully out of the park. But ²_____________ I arrived at the first set of traffic lights I realized to my horror that the petrol gauge was almost empty. The last thing my mother had said to me before I left the house was: “don’t forget to fill up with petrol. The tank is almost empty.” I had completely forgotten. I was in a terrible panic. I didn’t know how I possibly could tell the examiner that we had to stop at a petrol station. But there was no alternative. When I told him, he looked at me as if I was a complete idiot and was sure he was going to fail me.

But ³_______________ filling up with petrol everything went well and I was starting to drive quite confidently. I ⁴________________ managed to reverse the car successfully around a corner, which was the most difficult maneuver in the test.

⁵__________________ the examiner asked me to park the car in quite a small space and I did this perfectly. But as I drove away along the road, I noticed that the car seemed incredibly heavy. I accelerated but the car did not respond. I could also smell something strange. “Oh no,” I thought, “please don’t break down now!” I looked in the mirror and I noticed some smoke coming from the back of the car. “I think there’s something wrong with the car,” I said nervously to the examiner. “No, I don’t think so,” said the examiner. “I think you’ll find that you’ve got the hand brake on.”

⁶___________________ when we got back to the test center, the examiner said, “I’m afraid you haven’t passed the test.”

I ⁷_________________ passed on the third attempt.

2.       Number the events 1-11 in the order they happened.

     

They arrived at the test center.      I failed the test.      I filled up with petrol.      I forgot to take the handbrake off.      I parked.      I passed the test

I realized that the petrol tank was nearly empty.      I reversed around the corner.      I saw smoke.      I started the car.      My mother told me to fill up with petrol.

ANSWERS

READING: MY FIRST DRVING TEST

1.       Complete the text below with words from the box.

after     also     as soon as     even      eventually      of course        then

I will never forget the day I took my driving test for the first time. I had had about 20 lessons with a driving instructor and I’d ¹ also had a lot of practice with my mother in her car, so I was very optimistic.

The day of the test arrived and I was feeling very nervous. My driving instructor took me to the test center and introduced me to the examiner. He was an ex-army officer with a big moustache and his eyes were cold and unfriendly.

I was taking the test in my mother’s car because I was more used to driving it than the driving school’s car.

I started the engine and drove slowly and carefully out of the park. But ² as soon as I arrived at the first set of traffic lights I realized to my horror that the petrol gauge was almost empty. The last thing my mother had said to me before I left the house was: “don’t forget to fill up with petrol. The tank is almost empty.” I had completely forgotten. I was in a terrible panic. I didn’t know how I possibly could tell the examiner that we had to stop at a petrol station. But there was no alternative. When I told him, he looked at me as if I was a complete idiot and was sure he was going to fail me.

But ³ after filling up with petrol everything went well and I was starting to drive quite confidently. I ⁴ even managed to reverse the car successfully around a corner, which was the most difficult maneuver in the test.

⁵ Then the examiner asked me to park the car in quite a small space and I did this perfectly. But as I drove away along the road, I noticed that the car seemed incredibly heavy. I accelerated but the car did not respond. I could also smell something strange. “Oh no,” I thought, “please don’t break down now!” I looked in the mirror and I noticed some smoke coming from the back of the car. “I think there’s something wrong with the car,” I said nervously to the examiner. “No, I don’t think so,” said the examiner. “I think you’ll find that you’ve got the hand brake on.”

⁶ Of course when we got back to the test center, the examiner said, “I’m afraid you haven’t passed the test.”

I ⁷ eventually passed on the third attempt.

2.       Number the events 1-11 in the order they happened.

2 10 5 8 7 11

They arrived at the test center. I failed the test. I filled up with petrol. I forgot to take the handbrake off. I parked. I passed the test

4 6 9 3 1

I realized that the petrol tank was nearly empty. I reversed around the corner. I saw smoke. I started the car. My mother told me to fill up with petrol.

TO PRINT