A2 Key 및 B1 Preliminary (KET, PET) · Cambridge English · B1 Preliminary (PET)

B1 Preliminary (PET) 剑桥B1初级考试 Reading opens with the same two beasts as A2 Key, one level bigger: Part 1, five short notices with three options each, and Part 2, five people matched to eight short texts.

• Everything from A2 Key still applies: correct answers are paraphrased 改述; traps repeat the text's words.
• The B1 upgrade: the texts are longer, the paraphrase is deeper, and the distractors 干扰项 are smarter.
• Memory hook: at A2 the trap repeats the words; at B1 the trap repeats the idea, wrongly. Read for meaning, or the trap wins.
• Reading is 45 minutes for six parts. Budget: Parts 1–2 are the fast ones — about 10 minutes together.

Five short real-world texts: a sign, a message, a timetable note. Three options each.

• The options are now two-step paraphrases: the text says "students must return books before the last week of term", the answer says "books cannot be kept until the holidays". Same fact, new clothes.
• ⚠ Watch for scope 范围 words: all / most / some / must / can / may. The trap changes may to must and hopes you're tired.
• Strategy: as at A2, say the text's meaning in one Chinese sentence, then match the meaning — never the words.

Five people with needs; eight short texts (courses, hotels, films, museums). Match five.

• The A2 rule grows teeth: wrong texts satisfy two of three needs — and at B1, some satisfy three of four. Count every requirement 要求, including the quiet ones like "cheap" or "for beginners" 初学者.
• Strategy: write each person's needs as a checklist 清单 of three or four items, then tick texts against it. The text with all ticks wins.
• ⚠ Two people can never share a text. If two answers point at the same text, one of them is wrong. Re-read both checklists.

• ⚠ The deeper paraphrase punishes word-matching harder. At B1, the correct answer may share zero content words with the text. Trust your one-sentence meaning, not your eyes.
• ⚠ Scope words are the mark-stealers. some, most, all, only, except — underline them in both text and options before choosing.
• ⚠ Don't drift over time. Parts 1–2 fund the rest of the paper. Ten minutes, then move; the long texts in Part 3–4 eat whatever you leave them.
• ⚠ Answer sheet discipline 答题卡纪律: Reading has no transfer time. Mark as you go.

Notice: "Swimming pool: weekday mornings are for school groups only. Public swim starts at 12. Weekends: open to all from 9."

The notice says the public can swim: A) every morning B) weekday afternoons and weekends C) only at weekends. Answer: B. A is the scope trap (mornings belong to schools), C forgets the weekday afternoons.

Person: "Jia wants a two-day course, in the evening, for beginners, under 200 yuan." — a checklist of four. A text missing any one of the four is not her course.

Answer first, then read the explanation.

1. The correct option shares zero content words with the text. — Fine. Meaning, not words: the B1 paraphrase.
2. may in the text, must in the option. — The scope changed; it's a trap.
3. A text satisfies three of Jia's four requirements. — Not the answer. Checklists don't negotiate.
4. Two people matched to the same text. — One of them is wrong. Re-read both checklists.
5. Spending 15 minutes on Part 1. — Too slow. Parts 1–2 fund the paper; ten minutes, then move.

Reading Parts 3 and 4 are the long texts. Part 3: one text with five 4-option questions on detailed meaning 细节理解. Part 4: a text with five sentences removed — you put them back from a list of eight. That second part is the famous one, and the one students fear most.

• Part 3 is A2's Part 3 grown up: questions in text order, answers paraphrased, feelings and opinions now included.
• Part 4 is a jigsaw 拼图: the removed sentences are held in place by glue — pronouns, time words, linkers and repeated ideas.
• Memory hook: Part 3 asks what does it mean? Part 4 asks where does it snap in? Meaning in one, cohesion 衔接 in the other.

Five questions, four options each, in text order.

• The questions now ask about opinion, attitude 态度 and implication 言外之意: What does the writer think about…? What does she suggest?
• The correct option paraphrases the text; the traps are half-true: right fact, wrong judgement.
• ⚠ "What does the writer suggest?" is not "what does the text say?" Suggestion lives in should, might, it's worth, if I were you. Hunt the modal words.
• Strategy: question → locate the paragraph → read two lines around it → paraphrase it yourself → match. The A2 map still works; the roads are longer.

Five gaps, eight sentences. Three sentences are decoys 诱饵.

• The glue is visible. Check both sides of each gap:
  • Pronouns 代词: he, it, they, this — the sentence before must contain the person or thing.
  • Time and order words: then, after that, at first, finally.
  • Linkers: but, however, so, although — the two sides must contrast or agree as the linker demands.
  • Repeated ideas: the gap's neighbours and the sentence must be about the same thing.
• Strategy: fill the easiest gap first. Each placed sentence shrinks the decoy list.

• ⚠ The decoys are written to fit grammatically. Grammar alone can't solve the jigsaw; meaning and cohesion can. A decoy fits the grammar and betrays the logic.
• ⚠ Pronoun hunting is the highest-value habit. Every he/this/it in a candidate sentence must have an owner in the text before the gap. No owner, no place.
• ⚠ Implication questions: the answer is not written in the text — it is justified 有依据 by it. The difference: the text never says it directly, but says everything needed to conclude it.
• ⚠ Don't spend ten minutes on one gap. Place the easy ones, take the best guess on the last, and move. A guess beats a gap, and the clock is a budget.

Text with a gap: "…the bakery opens at six. ___. By eight, the queue reaches the corner." Candidate: "The smell of fresh bread fills the street by seven." — fits: the time chain (six → seven → eight) and the bakery idea. A decoy about "My grandfather loved fishing" fits neither; grandfather, fishing and the queue never meet.

Part 3 style: "I wouldn't say the course was easy, but it was worth every evening." The writer's attitude: positive, with effort — the but carries it.

Answer first, then read the explanation.

1. "What does the writer suggest?" — hunt the modal words: should, might, it's worth.
2. A candidate sentence starts with "He" — find the owner before the gap. No owner, no place.
3. A decoy fits the grammar perfectly — still wrong if it breaks the logic. Cohesion over grammar.
4. Part 4's three extra sentences — decoys. Place the easy gaps first and watch the list shrink.
5. "It wasn't easy, but worth every evening." — the attitude is positive with effort; the but carries it.

Reading Parts 5 and 6 are the clozes 完形填空 at B1: Part 5, six gaps with four options each (vocabulary and collocation); Part 6, six gaps with no options (grammar words).

• Part 5 is the A2 shelf with a fourth option and meaner choices: the four words are often near-synonyms 近义词, and only one collocates 搭配.
• Part 6 is the open cloze: articles, prepositions, pronouns, auxiliaries, linkers — the small words, one per gap.
• Memory hook: Part 5 is a chess opening 国际象棋开局 — many moves look natural, one is right. Part 6 is still the kitchen: cook the word yourself.

Four options that all mean almost the same thing: say / tell / speak / talk.

• Collocation decides. She ___ me a story. → told (tell a story). say takes the words, speak takes languages, talk takes about.
• Check the preposition after the verb: listen to, depend on, good at. The gap often owns its neighbour.
• ⚠ Meaning alone is not enough. All four options "fit" the meaning; the grammar of the company they keep decides. The sentence is a party; the wrong word doesn't know anyone.

Same kitchen as A2 Part 5, with a bigger menu: the grammar words now include the B1 machinery.

• The relative pronouns join the menu: the shop ___ I bought it → where. B1's grammar pays its rent here.
• ⚠ One word per gap, spelled right, capital letter when the gap opens a sentence. The A2 rules never retired.

• ⚠ The four-option friendliness is fake. At A2, two options were obviously wrong. At B1, all four look friendly. Slow down and check collocation.
• ⚠ Chinese verb-noun pairs don't map. 做作业 is do homework, 犯错误 is make a mistake — the pair must be learned as a pair. The cloze is where unlearned pairs come to collect their debt.
• ⚠ Read the sentence after the gap too. The answer often hides in the next line, especially prepositions: "she insisted ___ going" — the gap and its after-word decide together.
• ⚠ Don't leave the have/has/had chain broken. "I ___ never seen snow" → have. The perfect needs its helper; the gap is often exactly that helper.

Part 5 style: "We ___ a lot of photos during the trip." A) made B) took C) did D) got → took (take photos).

Part 6 style: "The film ___ we watched last night was amazing. I had never seen anything like it." → that/which. The relative clause from B1 topic 9, collecting marks.

Answer first, then read the explanation.

1. She ___ me a story. — told. tell a story; the collocation decides.
2. listen ___ music — to. The gap often owns its neighbour.
3. the shop ___ I bought it — where. The relative joins the menu.
4. I ___ never seen snow. — have. The perfect needs its helper.
5. fàn cuòwù — make a mistake. Pairs are learned as pairs; the cloze collects debts.

The second half of the listening paper: Part 3, a talk with six note gaps to fill, and Part 4, a longer interview 访谈 with six 3-option questions on detail and attitude.

• Part 3 is the A2 note-gap part grown up: a guided tour, a course description, a talk about a club — fill a word or number per gap.
• Part 4 is an interview with a guest: a musician, a student who did something unusual 不寻常的. Questions follow the interview order and dig into attitude.
• Memory hook: Part 3 is a form 表格 — fill it. Part 4 is a podcast 播客 — follow the guest's story.

Six gaps in notes about a talk: names, dates, prices, places, websites.

• The gaps are signposted 有路标 by the notes themselves: Day: ___ tells you a day is coming. Preview and predict.
• ⚠ The spelling rule is absolute: names and websites are spelled aloud; write the letters as they come. W-E-B-S-I-T-E arrives letter by letter; the recording waits for no one.
• ⚠ The correction rule applies: "It costs fifteen — sorry, fifty." The sorry is the signal. Numbers self-correct; wait for it.
• ⚠ Plural endings are audible 可听见的: three weeks or three week — the -s is part of the answer.

An interview with six questions, in order, asking detail and attitude.

• The attitude questions ask: How did she feel about…? What does he say about…? — the cushion trap from Part 2 applies here too.
• The detail questions paraphrase: the guest says "we slept in tents for two weeks"; the option says "they camped 露营".
• ⚠ Interviewers ask the question, guests wander. The answer comes when the guest finally answers, sometimes after a story. Patience is a listening skill.
• ⚠ Watch the guest's but: "It was exhausting, but amazing." The word after but is the attitude; the word before it is the bait.

• ⚠ The note gaps punish slow writers. Write the short form while listening (wk for week), complete the word at the pause. The recording doesn't wait for your handwriting 笔迹.
• ⚠ Interview attitude ≠ your attitude. What does the guest say about the journey? — the guest's word after but, not your opinion of tents.
• ⚠ Websites and emails are dictated 听写: "that's travel-now, all one word, dot com". Practise writing dictated strings; they come exactly once per sitting.
• ⚠ Miss one, move on. The interview continues; a gap you chase is two answers you miss.

Teacher-read rehearsal: no recording here — your teacher reads the voice aloud twice, like the exam, and you fill the notes by listening. The printed words are the script, not the task.

Notes: "Course: Photography — Day: ___ · Price: £___ · Website: ___" The voice: "It runs on Thursdays… The price? Fifty pounds — no, sorry, fifteen. And it's all on shootsmart, one word, dot com." Answers: Thursdays · 15 · shootsmart.com — the sorry corrected the price; the website was dictated.

Interview: "The two weeks in tents were exhausting, but amazing." — the attitude is amazing. The but flipped it.

Answer first, then read the explanation.

1. "It costs fifteen — sorry, fifty." — fifty. The sorry is the signal.
2. A name spelled aloud — write the letters as they come.
3. three week(s)? — the -s is audible and part of the answer.
4. "Exhausting, but amazing." — the attitude is amazing. The word after but.
5. A gap you can't fill — move on. The interview continues.

The B1 Preliminary Speaking test: 10–12 minutes, with a partner, in four parts: the interview, the long turn 个人陈述 (a photo description), the collaborative task 协作任务 (a decision with your partner), and the discussion.

• Part 1: interview questions about you — the A2 sandwich still applies.
• Part 2: each of you describes a photo, alone, for about a minute.
• Part 3: you and your partner discuss options and reach a decision 决定.
• Part 4: a discussion about the Part 3 topic, with the examiner joining in.
• Memory hook: the four parts are a meal 一顿饭: the appetiser 开胃菜 (interview), the solo 单人表演 (photo), the cooking together (the decision), and the conversation over coffee (discussion).

A colour photo of people doing something. Describe it for about a minute.

• The recipe 配方: place → people → action → detail → guess. "In this photo, there's a kitchen. A woman and a girl are cooking. The girl is mixing something in a bowl. They're both smiling — they look like they're having fun."
• Use the present continuous for the action (A2's camera), and look like / seem / maybe / probably for your guesses. The photo can't confirm; you speculate 推测.
• ⚠ Don't just list objects. "There is a table. There is a bowl." is an inventory 清单, not a description. The recipe moves from scene to people to feeling.
• ⚠ Finish with a guess or an opinion. "I think they're enjoying it" is the sentence that turns description into English.

Five or six options (pictures or words) and a task: "Which two should the school choose?" — discuss with your partner and decide.

• The machinery: suggest (How about…?), respond (Good idea, but…), compare (The library is more useful than…), decide (So, we agree on…).
• ⚠ The decision must be mutual 双方的. Steamrolling 强行推进 your partner scores worse than a friendly compromise 妥协. "OK, let's choose yours — the library makes sense."
• ⚠ Don't agree to everything. "Yes, yes, yes" shows no English. "I see what you mean, but…" shows all of it.

• ⚠ The photo description has no 有口无心 template. "This is a picture of…" then silence is a lost minute. The recipe: place, people, action, detail, guess.
• ⚠ In Part 3, silence is the only failure. Anything grammatical beats quiet. When stuck: "What do you think about this one?" — the question machine restarts the conversation.
• ⚠ Part 4 widens the topic: give reasons. Do you like cooking? — Yes, I do. is thin. Yes — I cook at weekends, because it's relaxing and the results are edible 可食用的. The sandwich again, one level up.
• ⚠ Watch your partner's signals. If they haven't spoken, invite them: "What do you think?" Inviting your partner is itself marked — it shows interaction management 互动管理.

Run a full practice round with a partner.

• Interview: What do you like doing after school? — sandwich answers.
• Photo minute: find any photo on your phone (a meal, a street, a game) and describe it for sixty seconds: place, people, action, detail, guess.
• The decision: your class can start one club — music, coding, cooking, basketball, drama. Choose one together. Disagree politely. The drama club overhears everything.
• Discussion: Do you prefer learning in groups or alone? — answer, detail, reason.

Answer first, then read the explanation.

1. The photo recipe — place → people → action → detail → guess.
2. Guessing language — look like / seem / maybe / probably. The photo can't confirm; you speculate.
3. Part 3: your partner is silent — invite them: What do you think about this one? Interaction management is marked.
4. "Yes, yes, yes" to everything — ✗ → I see what you mean, but… Disagreement shows the English.
5. Part 4 answers — the sandwich, one level up: answer, detail, reason.