For this exercise about night shift work, you read the text and choose the correct answer to each of the five questions. It provides practice for this reading section of the Cambridge English B1 Preliminary exam.
Night Shift Work
Many people have jobs that are not very interesting, but a lot of people have to work at night, and this is very difficult. When everybody else is getting ready to go out, they have to go to work, and this puts a lot of psychological stress on them. It is also not very healthy because the human body is designed to be active in the day and to rest in the dark. If this cycle is reversed it can have a bad effect on a person's health. So, why do people do the night shift?
Nowadays many businesses have to offer a 24-hour service, like hotels, delivery companies, some supermarkets are open all night and all day, call centres and hospitals. It is true that some people only need a few hours of sleep at night but the majority need eight hours. Humans are most active in the middle of the day, and the time when they are least able to concentrate and be efficient is between 2 am and 4 am.
This is the worst time to drive or to do anything that needs concentration. The body finds it very difficult to adapt to the opposite cycle. Things are not likely to get better in the future because more and more businesses are working 24-hour cycles to keep in step with our 24-hour society.
Here are new words and phrases from this exercise for the B1 Preliminary Part 3 reading section of the test:
- businesses
- call centres
- concentrate
- delivery companies
- efficient
- healthy
- hospitals
- humans
- in the dark
- night shift work
- opposite cycle
- psychological stress
- society
Part 1 - Read five real-world notices, messages and other short texts for the main message.
- Notices and Messages How to Video
- Notices and Messages Set 1
- Notices and Messages Set 2
- Notices and Messages Set 3
- Notices and Messages Set 4
- Notices and Messages Set 5
- Notices and Messages Set 6
- Notices and Messages Set 7
- Notices and Messages Set 8
Part 2 - Match five descriptions of people to eight short texts on a particular topic, showing detailed comprehension.
Part 3 - Read a longer text for detailed comprehension, gist, inference and global meaning, as well as writer’s attitude and opinion.
Part 4 - Read a longer text from which five sentences have been removed. Show understanding of how a coherent and well-structured text is formed.
Part 5 - Read a shorter text and choose the correct vocabulary items to complete gaps.
- Bagpipes
- Book Recommendation
- Mountain Climbing
- Playing Computer Games
- Popular Website
- Saving a Tree
- Single or Mixed-gender Schools
- Work of Art
Part 6 - Read a shorter text and complete six gaps using one word for each gap.
Write about 100 words, answering the email and notes provided.
Write about 100 words, either an article or story.
Articles
Short Stories
Part 3 - Gap-Filled Exercise
Part 4 - Multiple Choice Exercise
The B1 Preliminary Speaking test has four parts and you take it together with another candidate. There are two examiners. One of the examiners talks to you and the other examiner listens.
- Air Travel Crossword
- Computer Crossword
- Crime Crossword
- Entertainment Crossword
- Financial Language Crossword
- Food Crossword
- Health Crossword
- Home Crossword
- Language Crossword
- Leisure Crossword
- Money Crossword
- Natural World Crossword
- Places Crossword
- Shopping Crossword
- Sports Crossword
- Technology Crossword
- Texting Crossword
- Time Crossword
- Transport Crossword
- Travel Crossword
- Work and Jobs Crossword
- Adjectives with -ing Word Search
- Art Word Search
- Bonfire Night Word Search
- Buildings Word Search
- Classical Music Word Search
- Countryside Word Search
- Drama Word Search
- Education Word Search
- Entertainment Word Search
- Fast Food Word Search
- Feelings Word Search
- Food and Drink Word Search
- Football Word Search
- Gambling Word Search
- Haunted House Word Search
- Health Word Search
- Home Word Search
- Internet Word Search
- Language Word Search
- Leisure Word Search
- Natural World Word Search
- Shopping Word Search
- Sports Facilities Word Search
- Sports Word Search
- Sushi Word Search
- Technology Word Search
- Time Word Search
- Town and City Word Search
- Travel Word Search
- Weather Word Search
- Work Word Search
- Clothes Word Puzzle
- Color Word Puzzle
- Communication Word Puzzle
- Easter Word Puzzle
- Education Word Puzzle
- Entertainment Word Puzzle
- Environment Word Puzzle
- Food Word Puzzle
- Health Word Puzzle
- Hobbies Word Puzzle
- Language Word Puzzle
- Medicine Word Puzzle
- Natural World Word Puzzle
- Technology Word Puzzle
- Time Word Puzzle
- Weather Word Puzzle
- Air Travel Exercises
- Animals and Pets
- British and American English
- Chinese New Year
- Christmas
- Clothing
- Computer Exercises
- Easter (A2 – B1 Levels)
- Education
- Entertainment
- Environment
- Environmental Issues
- Finance Exercises
- Food and Drink
- Leisure and Hobbies
- Money Exercises
- Phoning and Texting Exercises
- Places and Buildings
- Relationships
- Transport and Travel
- Work and Jobs
- Report – Eating out in Berlin
- Email – Party Invitation
- Email – New School
- Email – Saving Energy
- Letter – Most Important Time
- News Report – Bank Robbery
- Email – Visiting a relative
- Blog Post – A New Life in Japan
- Book Review – The Call
- Article – Schools for Boys and Girls
- Article – The Cardboard Bike
- Article – Work of Art
- Email – Borrowing
- Email – Summer School
- Email – Computer Games
- Email – Holiday Plans
- Report – Features of Glaciers
- Email – Barbecue Invitation
- Short Story – Art Competition
- Short Story – Talent Contest
- Article – The Countryside
- Email – about University
- Short Story – The Angel
- Email – Subject Choices
- Article – Being Famous
- Email – Holiday in Thailand
- Email – School Holidays
- Short Story – Computer Problems
- Short Story – In Free Fall
- Speech – Course Introduction
- Email – Favourite Film
- Movie Review – Ted
Cambridge English exams are designed for learners at all levels from the pre-intermediate level Cambridge English: Key (KET) to the very advanced level Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE). These exams give candidates proof of their ability to use English in a wide variety of contexts, relevant to work, study and leisure activities.