1. shopping

ESCUELA DE CIENCIAS DE LA EDUCACIÓN
Licenciatura en Inglés como Lengua Extranjera
551012 –Intermediate English II
Readings for Knowledge Test 1
READING TEXT 1
GOING SHOPPING
Mrs Smith is going shopping with her son. They are looking for a present for Mr Smith's
birthday. Mrs Smith wants to buy him a new camera and Tom wants to buy him a jumper.
They drive to the department store on the high street. Mrs Smith uses the escalator to go
to the Electrical Department on the third floor and Tom takes the stairs up to the Men's
Clothing Department on the first floor.
When she gets to the Electrical Department she finds that cameras are sold in the
Photography Department on the ground floor. She takes the elevator down and asks the
sales assistant there for some help. She doesn't know much about cameras and needs
some advice. He recommends an automatic camera by Olympus, but it is too expensive.
She asks him if he has anything a little cheaper and he tells her about a special offer on the
Pentax range. It still seems expensive so she thanks the assistant and decides to shop
around first.
Meanwhile, Tom is looking at the jumpers. He only has £10 to spend so he can't afford
most of them. He sees his mother and they decide to go to the smaller shops round the
corner.
READING TEXT 2
SHOPPING IN LONDON
John tells us about his favourite places for shopping in London
When I visit London one of my favourite things to do is shopping! I really enjoy
searching for a bargain in the sales, and buying something new to wear on a Saturday
night. I also like doing window-shopping. It’s nice and it doesn't cost a penny! Sometimes
I spend hours just walking around a market and having a chat with my friends.
There are lots of different places to go shopping in London. One of the most
famous places is Oxford Street, but be careful, it gets too busy sometimes. If you want a
more relaxing shopping experience, go to Covent Garden. There you can have a
cappuccino, and watch some street theatre at the same time.
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ESCUELA DE CIENCIAS DE LA EDUCACIÓN
Licenciatura en Inglés como Lengua Extranjera
551012 –Intermediate English II
Readings for Knowledge Test 1
Some people like shopping in department stores. The most famous one in London is
'Harrods' in Knightsbridge, but for me, it's not modern enough, and it’s too expensive. The
best of all the big department stores is 'Selfridges' in Oxford Street. It's a shoppers'
paradise, nice clothes, and the prices? Well, at least I can look, can't I?
If you go to London, you can’t miss Camden street markets. It's busy, exciting, trendy, and
there are lots of bargains! You can buy cheap jeans and cool second-hand clothes in the
morning and then get a tattoo and a body piercing later on! And when you get tired of
shopping, you can get some Chinese food for £2 or £3, sit by the canal and drink a coke.
What could be better?
READING TEXT 3
Crazy Mom’s
Fashion
It started 20 years ago. One day, Jane Smith, a busy mom and a loving wife, went shopping
for new clothes. After a few hours of searching, she came home exhausted and
disappointed. In the mid-80s, few manufacturers made clothes for women over thirty.
“Thousands of women in England have the same problem, and I will help them,” – thought
Mrs. Smith. With very little money, no connections in the fashion world and a husband
who thought that her idea was crazy, the ambitious woman decided to start up her own
business.
Jane designed her first collection of twenty clothing items, bought suitable material and
sewing machines, and hired experienced tailors. The Smiths’ balcony turned into a
workshop. When the collection was ready, Jane offered it to a famous chain of stores. To
her surprise, they bought the whole collection at once. When they asked her about the
name of her company, Jane looked at her husband, smiled and said: “Crazy Mom”. The
collection was sold in a very short time – women liked Jane’s models. In a month, the
manager of the chain ordered more clothes from “Crazy Mom” and Jane had to hire more
people and find a bigger place for the workshop. The next step was opening her own shop
at the central train station in Manchester.
Now “Crazy Mom” has 50 boutiques all over the world. Mr. Smith left his job as an
engineer and became head of the company. Their four children also work in the company
and, according to Jane, this is what makes the business so successful.
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