Oxford ELLT Reading Practice Test 1

Reading Sample Questions

Text: A New Generation of Curling

Jayden King, one of Canada’s up-and-coming elite curlers, didn’t see a lot of people like him competing when he was growing up. But he certainly liked what he saw in the sport. Like most people without a family background in curling, King, whose father is from Trinidad and Tobago, first saw it on TV watching the Olympics. The ice, rings, brooms and sound of intense sweeping on ice had a young King transfixed. Growing up, his neighbours were curlers, and after badgering his mom enough, she finally said he could go with them to try it. That was the start of what has been a fun and fruitful journey for King, taking him from his family farm in a small town to curl all over Canada and the world. Now, he represents a new, more distinct face of curling despite the same old game. “We’re not the typical curling squad,” says King, a person of colour. His team is filled with other young men in their early 20s: Dylan Niepage, who was born deaf and uses cochlear implants, Owen Henry, and Victor Pietrangelo. Curling is among the most Canadian of sports. About 2.3 million Canadians curl at least once annually. The Scotties Tournament of Hearts for female athletes and Montana’s Brier for males are watched by millions each year. Despite the popularity, there’s a long-held misperception that curling is an older, white person’s sport. King asserts that curling is for anyone of any age, background or ability, and that it’s very inclusive. Curling Canada, the national association for the sport, aims to make the pebbled sheets of ice even more inviting, with efforts to attract people who may not see themselves as curlers. Curling is economically accessible compared to other winter sports, which can involve thousands of dollars in equipment costs alone. What’s more, curling facilities are found in almost every Canadian town, often serving as community hubs. That’s a huge part of the sport’s appeal, along with the way it unites a game of chess-like strategy with team cooperation and communication. The backbone of curling is its social facet. People are looking for connection these days, and curling offers that. There are new Canadians who never saw themselves on the ice, finding their place in a sport far different from their favourites back home. Accordingly, Curling Canada has launched several community campaigns to increase participation, and supports grassroots initiatives led by young, avid curlers. There are even some programs in high schools aimed at getting newcomers, students with autism and other special needs to try the sport, rather than professionally train them.

In one Ottawa high school, the goal was to have two fun days for students. Despite some initial eye rolls, nearly 100 students participated first in ‘floor curling’ in the school’s gym, followed by a real curling event at a rink a few weeks later, which 50 students attended. It was really about showing how everyone can curl and how it’s easier than it looks. Another Curling Canada initiative called Girls Rock brings together young girls to learn about and maybe even come to love the sport. Female-led, it features former and current Olympic curlers providing pointers and talking about how curling has positively affected their lives.