Class Test 1
Training Center
Train the skills you need for your first Class 8 English test. The topics and situations on this page are different from the test. The skills are not.
How to train
Conditional II
Mediation
American & British English
Reading + Writing
Reading
Find facts, recognise paraphrases and distinguish False from Not in the text.
FALSE: The text proves that the sentence is wrong.
NOT IN THE TEXT: The information is simply not given.
The Lakefront Station – An Old Building with a New Life
For almost a hundred years, the large red-brick building beside Lake Michigan was known simply as Lakefront Station. Thousands of people passed through it every week. Today, trains no longer stop there, but the building is busy again – for a very different reason.
Lakefront Station opened in 1924. At that time, it connected the city centre with smaller towns outside Chicago. The station was especially busy during the 1940s and 1950s. Later, more people started travelling by car and fewer passengers used the trains. The final passenger train left the station in 1987.
For many years, nobody knew what to do with the huge empty building. Some people wanted to pull it down and build modern flats there. Others argued that the station was an important part of the city's history and should be saved.
In 2015, the city finally bought the building. Work on the new Lakefront Discovery Centre began two years later. The project took four years. Workers kept many parts of the old station, including the large clock above the entrance and the original ticket hall.
Today, visitors enter through that ticket hall. On the ground floor, photos, films and old objects tell the story of travel in the city. Visitors can even sit inside a real train carriage from the 1950s.
The second floor is very different. It is about the Chicago of the future. Interactive displays show ideas for cleaner transport, safer streets and greener neighbourhoods. Visitors can design their own city and see what happens when they add parks, subway lines or new homes.
The biggest surprise is on the roof. Part of it is now a public garden with trees, small areas for visitors to sit and a fantastic view of the lake. On summer evenings, short films are sometimes shown there.
The Discovery Centre is open from Tuesday to Sunday. Young people under 16 pay $8 and adults pay $14. The old ticket hall and the café can be visited without buying a museum ticket.
Some people were disappointed when the trains disappeared from Lakefront Station. Today, however, the building has become busy again. It connects people with the past – and asks them to think about the future.
red-brick – made of red bricks
passenger – a person travelling in a car, bus, train or plane
carriage – part of a train where passengers sit
interactive – visitors can actively use or try something
A · True, False or Not in the text?
1. Lakefront Station first opened in 1924.
2. More passengers used the station after people started travelling more often by car.
3. The last passenger train left the station in 1987.
4. The city bought the station immediately after it closed.
5. The city paid more than 20 million dollars for the building.
6. Work on the Discovery Centre started in 2017.
7. The renovation took four years.
B · Choose the best answer.
8. Why did some people want to save the station?
9. What can visitors do on the second floor?
10. Which place can be visited without a museum ticket?
Show reading solutions
1. True
2. False
3. True
4. False
5. Not in the text
6. True
7. True
8. b
9. a
10. c
Mediation – A Broadway Evening
Switch naturally between German and English. Pass on meaning, not every single word.
THE SKYLINE MUSICAL
A funny family musical about a teenager who dreams of becoming a famous singer in New York.
Venue: Liberty Theatre, 47th Street
Wednesday: 7:30 pm
Tickets: $65 per person
GOOD TO KNOW
The show lasts about 2 hours and 20 minutes including one break.
Visitors should arrive 20 minutes early.
Large bags must be left at the theatre cloakroom.
Your German-speaking grandmother wants to go to the musical. Help her communicate with the English-speaking tourist-office assistant.
Oma: Wir möchten gerne am Mittwochabend ein Musical sehen.
Oma: Worum geht es denn bei „The Skyline Musical“?
Oma: Das klingt gut. Wann beginnt es?
Oma: Und wie viel kosten zwei Karten?
Oma: Dann müssen wir also spätestens um zehn nach sieben dort sein, richtig?
Show mediation solutions
1. We would like to see a musical on Wednesday evening.
2. She wants to know what “The Skyline Musical” is about.
3. She likes the sound of it and wants to know when it starts.
4. She wants to know how much two tickets cost.
5. Yes. We should be there by about 7:10 pm.
6. How long does the show take? / How long is the show?
Possible answer from the assistant: It lasts about two hours and twenty minutes including the break.
American & British English
Recognise common vocabulary and spelling differences.
A · Write the British English version.
| American English | British English |
|---|---|
| How are you doing? | |
| traveling | |
| fall | |
| vacation | |
| apartment | |
| harbor | |
| favorite | |
| French fries | |
| subway | |
| center |
B · Write the American English version.
1. trainers →
2. trousers →
3. sweets →
4. torch →
5. rubber →
6. mobile phone →
Show US / UK English solutions
How are you? · travelling · autumn · holiday(s) · flat · harbour · favourite · chips · underground · centre
1. sneakers
2. pants
3. candy
4. flashlight
5. eraser
6. cell phone
Conditional II
Talk about unreal or imaginary situations in the present or future.
If I lived in New York, I would visit Central Park every week.
The two clauses can change places: I would visit Central Park every week if I lived in New York.
❌ If I would live in New York, ...
✅ If I lived in New York, ...
❌ ... I would visited Hollywood.
✅ ... I would visit Hollywood.
A · Complete the sentences.
1. If I __________________ (live) in Florida, I __________________ (swim) in the sea every day.
2. I __________________ (not see) my grandparents very often if I __________________ (go) to school in the USA.
3. If Mia __________________ (have) more money, she __________________ (travel) across the USA.
4. We __________________ (visit) Broadway if we __________________ (be) in New York.
5. If Ben __________________ (not have) enough money, he __________________ (get) a weekend job.
6. What __________________ you __________________ (do) if you __________________ (win) $5,000?
7. If I __________________ (be) you, I __________________ (take) the subway.
8. They __________________ (not be) late if they __________________ (leave) now.
9. If Ava __________________ (know) the answer, she __________________ (tell) us.
10. I __________________ (buy) the tickets if they __________________ (not be) so expensive.
B · Correct the mistakes.
11. If I would live in California, I would go surfing.
12. She would visits New York if she had enough money.
13. If he have more time, he would learn Spanish.
14. We would not went there if it was dangerous.
Show Conditional II solutions
1. lived – would swim
2. wouldn't see – went
3. had – would travel
4. would visit – were
5. didn't have – would get
6. would / do – won
7. were – would take
8. wouldn't be – left
9. knew – would tell
10. would buy – weren't
11. If I lived in California, I would go surfing.
12. She would visit New York if she had enough money.
13. If he had more time, he would learn Spanish.
14. We would not go there if it was dangerous.
USA / New York Quick Check
Use context vocabulary and basic Unit 1 knowledge.
1. A train system under a large city is called the __________________ in American English.
2. A very tall city building is a __________________.
3. Manhattan is one of New York City's five __________________.
4. A person who brings documents around the city by bicycle is a bike __________________.
5. The place where ships enter and leave is a __________________.
6. If you want to see a musical in New York, Broadway is a famous __________________ area.
Show New York solutions
1. subway
2. skyscraper
3. boroughs
4. messenger
5. harbor / harbour
6. theatre / theater
Writing – A Day I Will Remember
Write a clear, structured story about a memorable day.
Your task
Write about 120–150 words.
Imagine you spent a memorable day in an American city. Include:
- where you went and who was with you
- what you did first
- one surprising or difficult moment
- how the problem was solved
- how you felt at the end
Show a sample text
ONE DAY I WILL REMEMBER
Last summer, I spent a day in Boston with my cousin and my parents. We travelled there by train on a sunny Saturday morning. My cousin had never been there before, so he was very excited.
First, we walked through the city centre and visited an old market. Then we went to the harbour and took lots of photos. After lunch, we wanted to visit a museum, but suddenly we noticed that my cousin's wallet was missing. We went back to the café and asked the waiter for help. Luckily, somebody had found the wallet under our table and had given it to the staff.
Finally, we visited the museum and bought ice cream before taking the train home. I was tired but very happy. The missing wallet was stressful, but in the end everything went well.
Ready for Class Test 1?
You are in a good position if you can tick all of these boxes without help.