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 from 43 to 50.

          At 7pm on a dark, cold November evening, thousands of people are making their way across a vast car park. They are all here for what is, bizarrely, a global phenomenon: they are here to see Holiday on Ice. They're not here to see a film, or the ballet, or even the circus... Given that most people don't seem to be acquainted with anyone who's ever been, the show’s statistics are extraordinary: nearly 300 million people have seen Holiday on Ice since it began in 1943; it is the most popular live entertainment in the world.

But what does the production involve? And why are so many people prepared to spend their lives travelling round Europe in caravans in order to appear in it? It can't be glamorous, and it's undoubtedly hard work. The backstage atmosphere is an odd mix of gym class and workplace. A curtained-off section at the back of the arena is laughably referred to as the girls' dressing room.

According to paragraph 1 the writer is surprised to see that although Holiday on Ice is popular ________ .

A. people often prefer other types of show

B. most people consider it as a holiday

C. few people know someone who has seen it

D. people prefer to see a film, the ballet, or the circus

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 from 43 to 50.

          At 7pm on a dark, cold November evening, thousands of people are making their way across a vast car park. They are all here for what is, bizarrely, a global phenomenon: they are here to see Holiday on Ice. They're not here to see a film, or the ballet, or even the circus... Given that most people don't seem to be acquainted with anyone who's ever been, the show’s statistics are extraordinary: nearly 300 million people have seen Holiday on Ice since it began in 1943; it is the most popular live entertainment in the world.

But what does the production involve? And why are so many people prepared to spend their lives travelling round Europe in caravans in order to appear in it? It can't be glamorous, and it's undoubtedly hard work. The backstage atmosphere is an odd mix of gym class and workplace. A curtained-off section at the back of the arena is laughably referred to as the girls' dressing room.

Which of the following is the writer’s conclusion of Holiday on Ice?

A. It is more enjoyable than Holiday on Ice

B. It is hard to know who really enjoys it

C. It is difficult to dislike it

D. It requires more skills than Olympic ice-skating

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 from 43 to 50.

          At 7pm on a dark, cold November evening, thousands of people are making their way across a vast car park. They are all here for what is, bizarrely, a global phenomenon: they are here to see Holiday on Ice. They're not here to see a film, or the ballet, or even the circus... Given that most people don't seem to be acquainted with anyone who's ever been, the show’s statistics are extraordinary: nearly 300 million people have seen Holiday on Ice since it began in 1943; it is the most popular live entertainment in the world.

But what does the production involve? And why are so many people prepared to spend their lives travelling round Europe in caravans in order to appear in it? It can't be glamorous, and it's undoubtedly hard work. The backstage atmosphere is an odd mix of gym class and workplace. A curtained-off section at the back of the arena is laughably referred to as the girls' dressing room.

Which of the following adjectives can be used to describe the backstage area?

A. messy     

B. glamorous         

C. relaxing   

D. old

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 from 43 to 50.

          At 7pm on a dark, cold November evening, thousands of people are making their way across a vast car park. They are all here for what is, bizarrely, a global phenomenon: they are here to see Holiday on Ice. They're not here to see a film, or the ballet, or even the circus... Given that most people don't seem to be acquainted with anyone who's ever been, the show’s statistics are extraordinary: nearly 300 million people have seen Holiday on Ice since it began in 1943; it is the most popular live entertainment in the world.

But what does the production involve? And why are so many people prepared to spend their lives travelling round Europe in caravans in order to appear in it? It can't be glamorous, and it's undoubtedly hard work. The backstage atmosphere is an odd mix of gym class and workplace. A curtained-off section at the back of the arena is laughably referred to as the girls' dressing room.

The phrase “the hard way” in paragraph 5 most likely means ________ .

A. by working very hard

B. by having expectation of others

C. through doing things again and again

D. through difficult personal experience

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 from 43 to 50.

          At 7pm on a dark, cold November evening, thousands of people are making their way across a vast car park. They are all here for what is, bizarrely, a global phenomenon: they are here to see Holiday on Ice. They're not here to see a film, or the ballet, or even the circus... Given that most people don't seem to be acquainted with anyone who's ever been, the show’s statistics are extraordinary: nearly 300 million people have seen Holiday on Ice since it began in 1943; it is the most popular live entertainment in the world.

But what does the production involve? And why are so many people prepared to spend their lives travelling round Europe in caravans in order to appear in it? It can't be glamorous, and it's undoubtedly hard work. The backstage atmosphere is an odd mix of gym class and workplace. A curtained-off section at the back of the arena is laughably referred to as the girls' dressing room.

It is suggested in paragraph 5 that skating in shows ________ .

A. enables skaters to visit a variety of places

B. is as competitive as other forms of skating

C. allows skaters to try out a range of ideas

D. is particularly well paid

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 from 43 to 50.

          At 7pm on a dark, cold November evening, thousands of people are making their way across a vast car park. They are all here for what is, bizarrely, a global phenomenon: they are here to see Holiday on Ice. They're not here to see a film, or the ballet, or even the circus... Given that most people don't seem to be acquainted with anyone who's ever been, the show’s statistics are extraordinary: nearly 300 million people have seen Holiday on Ice since it began in 1943; it is the most popular live entertainment in the world.

But what does the production involve? And why are so many people prepared to spend their lives travelling round Europe in caravans in order to appear in it? It can't be glamorous, and it's undoubtedly hard work. The backstage atmosphere is an odd mix of gym class and workplace. A curtained-off section at the back of the arena is laughably referred to as the girls' dressing room.

It is mentioned in paragraph 3 that ________ .

A. the show has been staged in many places

B. many companies are involved in the production

C. the show need financial support

D. it is difficult to find suitable equipment

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 from 43 to 50.

          At 7pm on a dark, cold November evening, thousands of people are making their way across a vast car park. They are all here for what is, bizarrely, a global phenomenon: they are here to see Holiday on Ice. They're not here to see a film, or the ballet, or even the circus... Given that most people don't seem to be acquainted with anyone who's ever been, the show’s statistics are extraordinary: nearly 300 million people have seen Holiday on Ice since it began in 1943; it is the most popular live entertainment in the world.

But what does the production involve? And why are so many people prepared to spend their lives travelling round Europe in caravans in order to appear in it? It can't be glamorous, and it's undoubtedly hard work. The backstage atmosphere is an odd mix of gym class and workplace. A curtained-off section at the back of the arena is laughably referred to as the girls' dressing room.

For Robin Cousins, the aim of the rehearsal is ________ .

A. to adjust the spotlights

B. to keep in time with the music

C. to be acquainted with the stage

D. to position the skaters on the ice

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 from 43 to 50.

          At 7pm on a dark, cold November evening, thousands of people are making their way across a vast car park. They are all here for what is, bizarrely, a global phenomenon: they are here to see Holiday on Ice. They're not here to see a film, or the ballet, or even the circus... Given that most people don't seem to be acquainted with anyone who's ever been, the show’s statistics are extraordinary: nearly 300 million people have seen Holiday on Ice since it began in 1943; it is the most popular live entertainment in the world.

But what does the production involve? And why are so many people prepared to spend their lives travelling round Europe in caravans in order to appear in it? It can't be glamorous, and it's undoubtedly hard work. The backstage atmosphere is an odd mix of gym class and workplace. A curtained-off section at the back of the arena is laughably referred to as the girls' dressing room.

The pronoun “them” in paragraph 5 refers to ________ 

A. some live performances

B. some famous skaters

C. certain ice shows

D. certain skating moves

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

At 7 pm on a dark, cold November evening, thousands of people are making their way across a vast car park. They're not here to see a film, or the ballet, or even the circus. They are all here for what is, bizarrely, a global phenomenon: they are here to see Holiday on Ice. Given that most people don’t seem to be acquainted with anyone who's ever been, the show's statistics are extraordinary: nearly 300 million people have seen Holiday on Ice since it began in 1943; it is the most popular live entertainment in the world.

But what does the production involve? And why are so many people prepared to spend their lives travelling round Europe in caravans in order to appear in it? It can't be glamorous, and it's undoubtedly hard work. The backstage atmosphere is an odd mix of gym class and workplace. A curtained-off section at the back of the arena is laughably referred to as the girls' dressing room, but is more accurately described as a corridor, with beige, cracked walls and cheap temporary tables set up along the length of it. Each girl has a small area littered with pots of orange make-up, tubes of mascara and long false eyelashes.

As a place to work, it must rank pretty low down the scale: the area round the ice-rink is grey and mucky with rows of dirty blue and brown plastic seating and red carpet tiles. It's an unimpressive picture, but the show itself is an unquestionably vast, polished global enterprise: the lights come from a firm in Texas, the people who make the audio system are in California, but Montreal supplies the smoke effects; former British Olympic skater Robin Cousins is now creative director for the company and conducts a vast master class to make sure they're ready for the show's next performance.

The next day, as the music blares out from the sound system, the case start to go through their routines under Cousins' direction. Cousins says, 'The aim is to make sure they're all still getting to exactly the right place on the ice at the right time - largely because the banks of lights in the ceiling are set to those places, and if the skaters are all half a metre out they'll be illuminating empty ice. Our challenge, ' he continues, 'is to produce something they can sell in a number of countries at the same time. My theory is that you take those things that people want to see and you give it to them, but not in the way they expect to see it. You try to twist it. And you have to find music that is challenging to the skaters, because they have to do it every night.'

It may be a job which he took to pay the rent, but you can’t doubt his enthusiasm. 'They only place you'll see certain skating moves is an ice show,' he says, 'because you're not allowed to do them in competition. It's not in the rules. So the ice show word has things to offer which the competitive world just doesn't. Cousins knows what he's talking about because he skated for the show himself when he stopped competing - he was financially unable to retire. He learnt the hard way that you can't put on an Olympic performance every night. I'd be thinking, these people have paid their money, now do your stuff, and I suddenly thought, "I really can't cope. I'm not enjoying it".' The solution, he realized, was to give 75 per cent every night, rather than striving for the sort of twice-a-year excellence which won him medals.

To be honest, for those of us whose only experience of ice-skating is watching top-class Olympic skaters, some of the movements can look a bit amateurish, but then, who are we to judge? Equally, it's impossible not to be swept up in the whole thing; well, you'd have to try pretty hard not to enjoy it.

What conclusion does the writer draw about Holiday on Ice?

A. It is hard to know who really enjoys it

B. It requires as much skill as Olympic ice-skating 

C. It is more enjoyable to watch than formal ice-skating

D. It is difficult to dislike it

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

      At 7 pm on a dark, cold November evening, thousands of people are making their way across a vast car park. They're not here to see a film, or the ballet, or even the circus. They are all here for what is, bizarrely, a global phenomenon: they are here to see Holiday on Ice. Given that most people don’t seem to be acquainted with anyone who's ever been, the show's statistics are extraordinary: nearly 300 million people have seen Holiday on Ice since it began in 1943; it is the most popular live entertainment in the world.

      But what does the production involve? And why are so many people prepared to spend their lives travelling round Europe in caravans in order to appear in it? It can't be glamorous, and it's undoubtedly hard work. The backstage atmosphere is an odd mix of gym class and workplace. A curtained-off section at the back of the arena is laughably referred to as the girls' dressing room, but is more accurately described as a corridor, with beige, cracked walls and cheap temporary tables set up along the length of it. Each girl has a small area littered with pots of orange make-up, tubes of mascara and long false eyelashes.

      As a place to work, it must rank pretty low down the scale: the area round the ice-rink is grey and mucky with rows of dirty blue and brown plastic seating and red carpet tiles. It's an unimpressive picture, but the show itself is an unquestionably vast, polished global enterprise: the lights come from a firm in Texas, the people who make the audio system are in California, but Montreal supplies the smoke effects; former British Olympic skater Robin Cousins is now creative director for the company and conducts a vast master class to make sure they're ready for the show's next performance.

      The next day, as the music blares out from the sound system, the case start to go through their routines under Cousins' direction. Cousins says, 'The aim is to make sure they're all still getting to exactly the right place on the ice at the right time - largely because the banks of lights in the ceiling are set to those places, and if the skaters are all half a metre out they'll be illuminating empty ice. Our challenge, ' he continues, 'is to produce something they can sell in a number of countries at the same time. My theory is that you take those things that people want to see and you give it to them, but not in the way they expect to see it. You try to twist it. And you have to find music that is challenging to the skaters, because they have to do it every night.'

      It may be a job which he took to pay the rent, but you can’t doubt his enthusiasm. 'They only place you'll see certain skating moves is an ice show,' he says, 'because you're not allowed to do them in competition. It's not in the rules. So the ice show word has things to offer which the competitive world just doesn't. Cousins knows what he's talking about because he skated for the show himself when he stopped competing - he was financially unable to retire. He learnt the hard way that you can't put on an Olympic performance every night. I'd be thinking, these people have paid their money, now do your stuff, and I suddenly thought, "I really can't cope. I'm not enjoying it".' The solution, he realized, was to give 75 per cent every night, rather than striving for the sort of twice-a-year excellence which won him medals.

          To be honest, for those of us whose only experience of ice-skating is watching top-class Olympic skaters, some of the movements can look a bit amateurish, but then, who are we to judge? Equally, it's impossible not to be swept up in the whole thing; well, you'd have to try pretty hard not to enjoy it.

What conclusion does the writer draw about Holiday on Ice?

A.  It is hard to know who really enjoys it

B. It is more enjoyable to watch than formal ice-skating

C. It requires as much skill as Olympic ice-skating

D. It is difficult to dislike it