You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-14, which are based on Reading Passages below.
Write answers to questions in boxes 1-14 on your answer sheet.
GT Reading Sample – “Booking a Wessex Cottages Holiday” & “Twelve Advertisements”
Read the text below and answer Questions 1-7.
Booking a Wessex Cottages Holiday
How to book your holiday
When you have looked through our brochure and have chosen two or three alternative cottages you would like to stay in, please phone our Holiday Booking Office.
The number is: 01225 892299
31st March to 20th October
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. and Thursday 9.30 a.m. to 5.00 p.m.
Saturday Closed
Sunday Closed
21st October to 30th March
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. and Thursday 9.30 a.m. to 5.00 p,m.
Saturday 9.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m.
Sunday Closed
We will check the availability of your choices and our reservation staff will help you make your decision. Should none of your choices be available, we will do our best to suggest suitable alternatives.
When a provisional reservation has been made, it will be held for 7 days. We will give you a holiday reference number and ask you to complete the holiday booking form and return it, with a deposit of ONE THIRD of the cottage rental, to:
WESSEX COTTAGES HOUDAY BOOKING OFFICE PO BOX 675
MELKSHAM
WILTSHIRE SN12 8SX
Deposit payments can be made by credit card at the time of booking or by cheque made payable to: Wessex Cottages Ltd.
IF WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED YOUR COMPLETED AND SIGNED BOOKING FORM WITH DEPOSIT WITHIN 7 DAYS, WE REGRET THAT YOUR RESER VATION WILL BE CANCELLED.
When we receive your booking form and deposit, your reservation will be confirmed – we will send you a Booking Confirmation, together with advice on how to reach your holiday cottage and the telephone number or a local contact should you require further details on the cottage before leaving home. Attached to the Booking Confirmation will be a note showing the balance due on your holiday and the date by which it is payable. Outstanding balances on bookings made in the UK must be settled within 10 weeks of sending the deposit.
ARRIVAL
Please do not arrive at your holiday cottage before 3.30 p.m. or later than 7.00 p.m.
DEPARTURE
On the morning of departure, please leave your holiday property by 10 a.m. to allow caretakers sufficient time to prepare the properly for the next visitors. We ask that you please leave the property as you found it. Please don’t move the furniture as this can cause damage both to the furniture and to the property.
OVERSEAS BOOKINGS
We are delighted to take bookings from overseas visitors either by telephone or fax +44 (0)1225890227. All payments should be made by credit card or by cheque in Pounds Sterling. Please note that provisional bookings from overseas visitors will be held for 14 DAYS. If the completed and signed booking form with the deposit is not received within that time, the reservation will be cancelled.
LAST-MINUTE BOOKINGS
If you wish to make a last-minute booking, please telephone the Holiday Booking Office to check availability.
If your reservation is made within 10 weeks of the holiday start date, full payment is due on booking.
ELECTRICITY
In most Wessex Cottages properties electricity must be paid for in addition to me holiday price. You may be asked to take a meter reading at the conclusion of your holiday, or an additional fixed charge for electricity may be made. Alternatively, there may be o coin meter, in which case you will be advised when you are making your booking. In some cottages, electricity is included in the rental and in very few there is no electricity at all.
LINEN
In most Wessex Cottages properties you have the choice either of hiring linen, at a cost of £6.00 per person per week, or of bringing your own. In some cottages linen is included and in a very few it is not available at all. if you choose to hire linen, it will include bed linen (i.e. sheets and/or duvet covers and pillow cases), bath and hand towels and tea cloths but will not include towels for swimming or beach use. Linen is not available for cots. If you have any queries, do ask the Holiday Booking Office.
Questions 1-7
Look at the information above about renting holiday cottages in England.
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage?
In boxes 1-7 on your answer sheet write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
1. The office is open on Saturdays in February but closes slightly earlier than on weekdays.
2. On receipt of your deposit, Wessex Cottages will confirm your booking by telephone.
3. For UK bookings, any outstanding balance must be paid within ten weeks of sending the deposit.
4. Between the departure of one visitor and the arrival of the next, the properties are visited and made ready.
5. The cost is lower if you make a last-minute booking.
6. Electricity is included in the rental of the majority of Wessex Cottages properties.
7. Beach towels are available for hire.
Read the text below and answer Questions 8-14.
Questions 8-14
Look at the twelve advertisements for local businesses A-L above.
Which business should be contacted in each of the following situations?
Write the correct letter A-L in boxes 8-14 on your answer sheet.
8. I have had an accident in my car. One of the rear lights is broken. I need to have it replaced.
9. I am helping to organise a wedding. The party will be at the bride’s family’s house but we are looking for someone to provide the food.
10. I have just found a house that I want to buy and I need a lawyer to help me with all the paperwork.
11. I have just returned from a holiday in Thailand, where I bought a Thai recipe book. I want to use the recipes in my restaurant, but I need someone to help me understand them.
12. I have just got a new job. I need to find somewhere to live locally.
13. Some friends are coming to visit me for the weekend, but my house is too small to put them all up. I want to find somewhere for them to stay.
14. I work in a local firm of solicitors. It’s nearly the end of the tax year and I am trying to find someone to help us organise our finances.
Answer:
1. TRUE
2. FALSE
3. TRUE
4. TRUE
5. FALSE
6. FALSE
7. FALSE
8. B
9. D
10. K
11. L
12. G
13. J
14. A