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Living and Working in Another Country

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working and living abroadRead about someone living and working in another country for the B2 First Reading Part 5 which practices reading for detail, opinion, tone, purpose, main idea, the implication of the idea.

About 10 minutesStrengthening reading comprehensionCambridge English B2 First Exam

B2 First Reading Part 5 (Working and Living in another Country)

For B2 First Reading Part 5, you are going to read an article about working and living in another country. This exercise consists of a text with multiple-choice questions. For each question, there are four options and you have to choose one of them.

Working and Living in a Different Country

Yearnings for the bamboo forests of China, the ski slopes of Switzerland and the karaoke booths of Japan are highlights of my previous gap years but don't surprise me, but I never imagined the minarets of Saudi Arabia would call me back. It is two years since I returned from Jeddah, but when I close my eyes on a grey English day I'm walking the city's ancient streets again, seeking out Bukhari chicken or Egyptian flatbread.

Money was my motivation for going to a country famous for exporting oil and terrorism as it has some of the best paid English teaching jobs in the world, and I managed to save £8,500 in just six months working at a boys' school there. I chose my new home city carefully. As the gateway to Mecca, through which the Muslim world passes on the hajj, the port of Jeddah is Saudi Arabia's most cosmopolitan and liberal city.

My new Saudi friends warned me against even visiting the capital Riyadh, home of Wahhabism. In Jeddah, I knew Saudis, as well as western women, who walked the streets unaccompanied by a man and with their heads uncovered, something they could never do in Riyadh.

Jeddah also boasts some of the world's best coral reefs. Diving on the Saudi side of the Red Sea offers the same underwater riches as the Egyptian Sinai, but without the crowds. On the downside, I didn't speak to a woman for my first two months there, but I eventually found a private beach where the sexes could mix.

My first lesson on a jet ski was fleeing the coastguard. A Palestinian girl had taken me for a ride when we saw their ship approaching. For fear of being caught together, we hid in a cove. Women are barred from driving any kind of motorised vehicle so I had to take the controls and when they passed. We sped out of the cove and back to the beach James-Bond style.

Bizarre experiences inform my anecdotes about Saudi Arabia are gate-crashing a wedding and ending up on stage in front of 2,000 guests, my Saudi girlfriend's mother catching us at my apartment together. But what I long for is visiting the crumbling, centuries-old buildings of Old Jeddah, smoking shisha in coffee shops and sipping sweet Adeni tea with a friend. This kingdom is a harsh place, but the people who live there are the most hospitable I've ever met. I went for the money but came back richer in so many other ways.

David Trayner, 29, news reporter, Leicester

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Question 1 of 6

1. Where does the writer imagine being?

Question 1 of 6

Question 2 of 6

2. Why did he choose to live in Jeddah?

Question 2 of 6

Question 3 of 6

3. What differences does Riyadh have compared to Jeddah?

Question 3 of 6

Question 4 of 6

4. What was the writer pleased to find after some time?

Question 4 of 6

Question 5 of 6

5. What does the word 'barred' mean?

Question 5 of 6

Question 6 of 6

6. How does the writer describe the people in Saudi Arabia?

Question 6 of 6


 

Listen to the story about working and living in another country.
Extra Free Exercises for B2 First Reading Part 5.
Cycling to India
Hottest Place on Earth
Living and Working in Another Country
The Picture of Dorian Gray
The Wrestler who Wrote a Book

B2 First Reading Part 5B2 First Use of English and Reading Section

You need to be able to understand a range of texts, including how they are organised and the opinions and attitudes expressed in them. The texts will be from sources familiar to you such as magazines, articles, fiction and advertisements, but targeted at the interests of students. Students’ use of English will be tested by tasks which show how well they can control their grammar and vocabulary.

For this part, you practice vocabulary by using words with similar meanings, collocations, linking phrases, phrasal verbs, etc.

For this part, you practice how to understand the details of a text, including opinions and attitudes.

For this part, you practice how to understand the structure and follow the development of a text.

For this part, you practice how to find specific information in a text or texts.

B2 First Writing Section

You are required to produce two pieces of writing. The first piece is compulsory and will be an essay of 140-190 words. For the second, you can choose from an article, email/letter, essay, review or report (B2 First for schools the report is replaced with a story) of 140-190 words.

B2 First Listening and Speaking Section

Requires being able to follow and understand a range of familiar spoken materials, such as news programmes, public announcements and other sources, but targeted at the interests of the learners.

In this part you talk to the examiner about yourself and your life, e.g. your name, school, interests and future plans.

In this part, you talk about two photos on your own which you have to compare for about 1 minute. After you have finished, your partner will be asked a short question about your photo. When your partner has spoken about their photos for about 1 minute, you will be asked a question about their photos.

In this part you express ideas with your partner by looking at a discussion point that the examiner gives you.

This will be available soon.

In this part, you focus on general aspects of a topic with the examiner or you may involve your partner.

This will be available soon.

In this part, you will hear people talking in eight different situations.

In this part, you will hear five people talking about different things.

In this part, you will hear an interview.

Especially helpful are exercises that are focussed on a theme or topic as these provide word retention practise so you can be confident to read, write, speak and listen successfully. We have many activities to get your English up to speed in no time.

Customs and Traditions explores how we celebrate our cultural identity across the globe.

Entertainment and Leisure explores how we spent our free time.

Environment and Nature explores the way humans and animals live, adapt and change on our planet.

Exploring how different societies create roles for people to develop their skills and knowledge.

Exploring how we learn and adjust to the world around us. .

Exploring how we experience the world through our life journeys

The more words you encounter and understand, the broader your day-to-day vocabulary will become. Our word games and puzzles such as our films word search are an excellent way to help to reinforce spellings in your mind.
Level Links:
This free material is for students at an Upper Intermediate Level of English. This will probably be suitable for students in their third or fourth year of English studies. We add exercises on grammar and vocabulary as well as whole text activities on a regular basis. In addition, we provide test practice activity for students who are preparing for the C1 Advanced which is part of the Cambridge Assessment English Main Suite as well as the English Language B for the IB Diploma. The material will also support students studying for the Cambridge Advanced courses and IELTS examinations.

We also provide free resources across the full range of levels to provide the tools to communicate in English well.

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