IESOL Reading – Sample Paper 3

Downloading songs and albums 0) is now the most common way of buying music. However, this was not always the case and it is mainly in the last ten years that this change has 1) ____.

With the recent advances in technology, it is perhaps not a surprise that more and more people are downloading music rather than buying CDs, 2) ____ the speed of this change has surprised many people.

It all started in 2001 when the American technology company Apple 3) ____ the iPod, a digital audio player.

However, Apple's influence on how people buy music really began with the launch of iTunes, a media player that 4) ____ people to download and play music from their computers. iTunes was launched in 2003 and by the 5) ____ of 2004 it had sold 200 million downloads.

Many companies that sold CDs did not predict this change and went 6) ____ of business. This has led to many high street music stores closing down and becoming just a part of history.

CANADA: OFF THE BEATEN TRACK – THREE TO SEE

Rocky Mountains

The Rockies run along the Alberta-British Columbia border, and are inside two huge national parks – Banff to the south and Jasper to the north. Banff was Canada's first wildlife sanctuary and these days the town of Banff is the most popular tourist destination in the country. But Jasper National Park is larger, wilder, and less well-explored. Between the parks of Banff and Jasper is the Columbia Icefield, an enormous bowl of ice made up of about thirty glaciers. If you don't like ice, the Rockies offer wildlife walks, swimming, camping, hiking, canoeing, mountain climbing, and plenty of places to stay. Accommodation costs are usually lower at the Jasper end of this superb mountain playground.

Lunenburg

Lunenburg is south from Halifax, along a foggy coast of rocky coves, fishing villages, and historic towns. It is a beautiful little shipbuilding town and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Fishing has always been big in Lunenburg: most of Atlantic Canada's deep-sea fishing boats leave from here, and North America's biggest fish-processing factory is located in the town. Lunenburg still has many wooden buildings and as a result feels like an 18th century British colonial town. You can visit the town's Fisheries Museum or just wander around, looking at the wooden houses in the old streets – and of course have a dinner of halibut or haddock, mussels or lobster.

Churchill

One of the few places in the north that is 'easy' to get to, Churchill is a 1.5-day train journey from Winnipeg. Churchill is a major port, but eco-tourism is becoming more and more important. Despite freezing temperatures and poor facilities, many visitors come to see the polar bears, beluga whales, caribou, Arctic foxes, and, if they're lucky, the Northern Lights. Churchill calls itself the 'Polar Bear Capital of the World', and for a good reason: the town sits right in the middle of the animals' migration route, and the cute but deadly white bears sometimes wander into the town. Tours to see the bears from September to November are by far the most popular attraction.