Table of Contents
BEST IELTS General Reading Test 444
IELTS GENERAL READING TEST 444 – PASSAGE – 1
IELTS GENERAL READING TEST
READING PASSAGE – 1
Fundraising Ideas 3: Car Boot Sale
A. Car boot sales are a great way to raise money. Even if you don’t have a lot of things you don’t need, you can ask your friends and family to do a clear-out and give you their unwanted items to help you raise money. Spring is a great time to hold a car boot sale, before everyone goes on holiday and the days get too hot.
B. Many people have found this a great way to start their fundraising; it doesn’t take a lot of preparation and can raise quite a lot of money in one day. In the past volunteers have raised between £50 and £100 from one car boot sale; you could easily make £200-300 by doing two or three car boot sales if you have a lot of stuff to sell.
IELTS General Reading Test
C. Lots of websites advertise dates for car boot sales. Look at Your Car Booty and Car Boot Junction – websites that list boot sales across the UK. Otherwise, you can pick up your local newspaper or search for ‘car boot sales’ near you on the internet.
D. Look in your garage, shed or attic. If you are not much of a collector, then contact your family and friends to see if they can give you anything to sell. Tell people about the sale through Facebook and Twitter. You could also put up an advert in your local shop asking people to donate their unwanted goods. Tell them it’s for a good cause.
IELTS General Reading Test
E. Have a clear-out of all of your stuff, from clothes to furniture. In my house, the garage, shed and loft are normally great places to start! If you’re not much of a hoarder, then it’s a great idea to contact your friends and family members and see if they have anything you could sell. You can sell pretty much anything at boot sales, including clothing, books, jewellery, CDs, DVDs, games, furniture and kitchen items. Some car boot sales will also let you sell cakes or other food items (but make sure you check first); this can be a great boost to your fundraising and may attract people to your stall too!
F. First of all, tell the place holding the car boot sale that you are selling for a good cause – they may offer a lower pitch price for stalls raising money for charity. Next, work out the prices for your items in advance, and either put stickers on them or put a sign up, for example ‘All CDs £2’. Advertise that you are raising money for charity, and if people try to bargain you down on your prices, remind them you are raising money for a good cause. They may want to go with the higher price. Finally, check whether tables are provided. If not, you will need to remember to pack one.
IELTS General Reading Test
G. Tip 1: Put your alarm clock on! Car boot sales often start early. Take some hot coffee/ tea/chocolate and dress up warm; you will probably be standing outside for a couple of hours!
Tip 2: Early in the car boot sale, you will have people wanting to buy your items at a cheap price. They will then put them on their own stall to sell at a higher price so don’t sell all your items too early. Try to have a friend help you in the first couple of hours of the sale.
Tip 3: Say no when people haggle with you if you think the price they are offering is too low.
IELTS General Reading Test
Questions 1-6
The text has seven sections, A-G. Choose the correct heading for sections 8-G from the list of headings below. Write the correct number, i-ix, next to Questions 1-6.
List of Headings
i. What can you sell?
ii Where can you sell?
iii What happens on the day?
iv When is a good time for a car boot sale?
v How much do car boot sales cost?
vi How can you start?
vii Why do a car boot sale?
viii Who goes to car boot sales?
ix What do I need to do to prepare?
IELTS General Reading Test
1. Section B
2. Section C
3. Section D
4. Section E
5. Section F
6. Section G
IELTS General Reading Test
Questions 7-14
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the text? Write
TRUE – if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE – if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN – if there is no information on this
7. Spring is a good time for a car boot sale because of the holidays.
8. Car boot sales raise £75 on average.
9. You could ask people close to you to give you things to sell.
10. You can sell vehicles at car boot sales.
11. If you are selling things for charity, you may get a discount from the organisers.
12. The organisers always provide tables to put things on.
13. Other sellers will often try to buy your items and then sell them at their table.
14. You should accept all offers to buy something.
IELTS General Reading Test
IELTS General Reading Test
ANSWERS
1. vii
2. ii
3. vi
4. i
5. ix
6. iii
7. FALSE
8. NOT GIVEN
9. TRUE
10. NOT GIVEN
11. TRUE
12. FALSE
13. TRUE
14. FALSE
IELTS General Reading Test