EPE Übungsprüfung 2

Read the text about a truck towing a swimming pool. First decide whether the statements (1-10) are true (T) or false (F) and put a cross in the correct box on the answer sheet. Then identify the sentence in the text which supports your decision. Write the first 4 words of this sentence in the space provided. There may be more than one correct answer; write down only one. The first one (0) has been done for you.

The mobile swimming pool

Dust off your swimming costume. A 1960s New York summer staple may be making a comeback in London. In late 1960s New York, the visionary head of the city’s parks department, August Heckscher, spearheaded a fantastically simple ploy to introduce children in poorer districts to the joy of swimming. The swimmobile was a truck towing a large container that (when parked up) was filled with gallons of cool water from the city’s street-side hydrants. The swimmobile became a legendary summer tradition, which continued for about two decades. A New York Times article from 1987 paints a wonderful picture of kids in the then-rough neighbourhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant scurrying home to grab swimsuits upon word that the swimmobile was arriving. Crowds gathered around this mobile bath, clothes were cast to the sidewalks and a temporary oasis would lift the spirits of a whole community, even if just for a day. The swimmobile today seems to be a thing of the past due in part to increased health and safety regulations around the low-tech logistics of its design. But in London, where good swimming spots are few and far between, it may be making a comeback. “This seems like the right time to do this,” says London’s Chris Romer-Lee, a co-founder of architecture firm Studio Octopi and the founder of the Thames Baths CIC initiative. While his grand plan is to form a proper public bath on the Thames, his first step is to reintroduce London’s citizens to the capital’s forgotten and under-appreciated waterways via a swimmobile. “We spend a lot of time using water but we forget that beneath our streets there is life and rivers that have been lost to the city,” he says, referencing the Peck, a river in the south London district of Peckham that today runs as an underground sewer.

Romer-Lee adds that once operational, his swimmobile will take water from London rivers, filter it and bring it to urban communities. In doing so he will be able to get people thinking about where the city’s waterways run to: the Thames. Once the city’s highway of commerce, the Thames today is largely thought of as dirty and polluted, and feels isolated from London’s residential neighbourhoods. “We were brought up with the idea that the Thames is a poisoned waterway,” says Romer-Lee. “But change has improved the situation. Many organisations have been working hard to clean it and a new sewer will be the icing on the cake. When completed, the new sewer system will eliminate 95 per cent of the overflow sewage, which currently hits the Thames every time it rains.” With an improved river at the heart of London and more improvements on the way, Romer-Lee thinks it’s time for citizens to start celebrating. Brands are backing him too – swimwear brand Speedo has been supportive of his endeavour and Romer-Lee is also closing in on National Lottery funding for his swimmobile. While it might not be an easy road convincing some people that a truck filled with river water will make for a safe playground, he believes his scheme is water-tight. “As architects we are continuing to reinvent the wheel but with this there is no point in trying to improve the swimmobile’s design. What they did in New York was so good,” he says, noting that a natural filtration system and a truck with a hydrogen fuel cell will be the only updates.

0. There was an image in a newspaper, showing the children’s reaction to the arrival of the swimmobile.
1. There are only limited swimming facilities in London.
2. Romer-Lee wants to make people aware of certain features of their city in order to achieve a bigger goal.
3. According to Romer-Lee, Londoners know that there is plenty of water in hidden underground rivers.
4. The water supply for the swimmobile will remind citizens where their water goes.
5. Apart from a cleaner Thames, further changes for the better are planned.
6. The swimmobile project lacks financial assistance from other business organisations.
7. Romer-Lee is certain that everyone will see the swimmobile as a secure facility.
8. The original American scheme lasted only a couple of summers before it was dropped.
9. The water for the new vehicle is to be taken from the capital’s own rivers and cleaned before use.
10. Romer-Lee plans a complete redesign of the New York vehicle before putting it on London’s streets.

Datenquelle: Bundesministerium für Bildung (BMB), CC BY 4.0

Read the texts about outstanding art and design in underground stations and systems across Europe. Choose the correct text (A-G) for each question (1-10). You can use a text more than once. Write your answers in the boxes provided on the answer sheet. The first one (0) has been done for you.

European metro stations worth seeing

A — Naples, Italy

Construction on the Naples Metro (Metropolitana di Napoli) started in 1911, with lines and platforms added either side of the two World Wars. Extensions and refurbishments have never really stopped – like many metro systems around the world, Napoli’s is a perpetual work in progress. One of the more recent developments was to introduce ‘Stations of Art’, a bold plan to entrust the design and layout of new metro stations to different contemporary artists and architects. More than 180 artworks by 90 Italian and international artists now decorate stations along metro lines 1 and 6.

B — Stockholm, Sweden

If you can only visit one arty underground station in Stockholm, I’d choose Solna Centrum. Although it’s around 5 km from central Stockholm on the Blue Line, it’s well worth the trip. The dramatic red and black colour scheme is exceptionally, intentionally dramatic. Along the platforms, red skies engulf trees, buildings and animals, representing the threat to Sweden’s natural environment posed by pollution, industry and modern life.

C — London, England

The London Underground is one of the most sophisticated underground systems in the world. It has been around since 1863, and the way in which platforms for different lines are weaved into a network of tunnels under the city is awe-inspiring. By simply walking from one set of platforms to another, you seamlessly change from the likes of the District Line to the Circle Line to the Bakerloo Line. Many of the older stations are the most interesting ones to visit, simply because of the artwork depicting the station names on the platforms. Newer stations have the recognisable blue and red Underground symbol with the station name in place of the word ‘Underground’. But in older stations, you’ll find station signs are much more elaborate.

D — Paris, France

Abbesses station is also beautiful underground, boasting multiple colourful murals of poppies, city scenes, groupings of Parisians, and fantastical beasts. The beauty of Abbesses station has been widely featured in popular culture, including in the movie Amelie as well as the Netflix series Sense8. Louis Vuitton even named a style of bag Abbesses after this beautiful station!

E — Malmö, Sweden

Triangeln in Malmö is one of the most amazing stations I have ever seen. Located right in the centre of Malmö, Sweden, what makes it unique is its striking shape. As you walk into the station, it’s like walking into a huge spaceship! It’s an amazing piece of architecture. Just as interesting as it looks from below, the best views are from above. Because it’s all made of glass, by day, you can see the people inside the station. It looks even better by night.

F — Athens, Greece

Located in the heart of Syntagma Square in Athens, the station is the transfer point between the city’s underground lines and Athens Tram up on street level. It’s a grand multi-storey building housing both a platform underground and additional platforms and stores above. Parts of the building were designed by a famous sculptor. Its appearance isn’t all that makes the station special, though. This being Athens, a city full of ancient relics, it was to be expected that excavations for the line would uncover more. Many archaeological finds have been incorporated into the design of the station, encased in glass to protect them from passing commuters.

G — Porto, Portugal

São Bento Railway Station is a 19th-century train station known for the some 20,000 azulejo tiles that decorate its interior. The tiles are elaborate in their depiction of great battles and pastoral scenes. They’re so detailed that the tile work took more than 11 years to complete. Below ground, by contrast, the São Bento Metro Station is stark white and minimalist. Which metro system or station…

0. has various floors above and below ground?
1. impresses passengers through the complex linking of its tracks and stations?
2. has art portraying historical scenes?
3. uses art to address current issues?
4. shows real-life as well as imaginary motifs in its wall art?
5. has been steadily increasing in size and design over the last 100 years?
6. uses art to indicate where passengers are?
7. is impressive through the use of form and material?
8. has integrated historical discoveries into its architecture?
9. has employed professionals to make stations more appealing?
10. has appeared both in a film and in a television series?

Datenquelle: Bundesministerium für Bildung (BMB), CC BY 4.0

Read the text about Elena's photography hobby. Fill in the missing gaps, one letter per underscore. Type either the missing letters or the full word into each gap; both are accepted (in the exam itself, the full word goes into the grid). The first one (0) has been done for you. (10p.)

A Weekend Behind the Camera

My sister Elena took up photography three years ago, and it has become her favourite way to spend a weekend afternoon. She never studied art at school, but she taught herself everything from online tutorials and library books.

Every Saturday she pac__ (0) her old camera bag and wal__ (1) down to the river near our house, hoping to capt___ (2) something interesting before the light chan___ (3). She particularly enj___ (4) photographing wild____ (5), though the birds rarely stay still long enough for a dec___ (6) shot. Last month she deci___ (7) to try a completely different subject and offe___ (8) to photograph her cousin's birt____ (9) party instead. The whole family gath____ (10) in the garden, and Elena spent hours arran____ (11) the guests into cheerful group portr____ (12). She disco_____ (13) that people are actually much harder to photograph than birds, because everyone keeps blin____ (14) or looking away at the wrong moment. Still, the final pictures turned out beauti_____ (15), and her cousin prin___ (16) several of them for the living room wall. Elena has since star___ (17) a small blog where she shares her favourite images and expl____ (18) which camera settings she used for each one. She hopes that other begin____ (19) will find her simple advice useful when they are just starting out. Her next ambition is to enter a local photography competition, even though she feels nerv___ (20) about showing her work to strangers. Her parents keep telling her that her pictures deserve a wider audience, and slowly she is beginning to believe them.

Read the text from 2017 about a rescue dog. Some words are missing. Choose the correct answer (A, B, C or D) for each gap (1-10). Put a cross in the correct box on the answer sheet. The first one (0) has been done for you.

A four-legged hero

Good dog! A Labrador retriever has earned worldwide praise. She is being (0) ___ a hero for her efforts to rescue people after two earthquakes struck Mexico. The dog’s name is Frida. She (1) ___ for SEMAR, the Mexican Navy. She looks (2) ___ people who are lost after a natural disaster. (3) ___ far, the dog has found 52 people. Twelve of them
(4) ___ alive. Frida was put to the test (5) ___ the Mexican state of Oaxaca was hit by an earthquake on September 7. She went to work again after Mexico City was struck by a quake. It happened on September 19. People around the world took notice. That is because SEMAR posted on
(6) ___ Twitter account a video of Frida at work. Actor Chris Evans stars in the Captain America movies. He is among the many people (7) ___ retweeted the video. He commented: “What did we do to deserve dogs?” Another Twitter user called for Frida’s picture to replace Mexican painter Diego Rivera on the 500-peso (8) ___. (Frida is named after Rivera’s wife, the artist Frida Kahlo.) Emmanuel Hernandez is one of Frida’s handlers. When Frida was young Hernandez saw that she had what it takes to be a rescue dog. She is easygoing. She is a good hunter. She has a strong sense of smell. Hernandez (9) ___ about what will happen when Frida retires. “If someone (10) ___ me if I would want to take Frida, I would say yes,” Hernandez says. “But we will have Frida [at work] for a long time yet.”

0. (A) trained (B) given (C) called (D) seen
1. (A) will work (B) works (C) has worked (D) worked
2. (A) for (B) at (C) around (D) up
3. (A) Too (B) How (C) So (D) By
4. (A) are found (B) were found (C) have found (D) had been found
5. (A) in case (B) long ago (C) even if (D) after
6. (A) its (B) it’s (C) ones (D) one’s
7. (A) whose (B) whom (C) which (D) who
8. (A) check (B) currency (C) bill (D) money
9. (A) had been thinking (B) had thought (C) will have thought (D) has thought
10. (A) says (B) speaks (C) asks (D) tells

Datenquelle: Bundesministerium für Bildung (BMB), CC BY 4.0

Read the text about a special museum. Some words are missing. Use each word in brackets to form an appropriate word for each gap (1-13). Write only one word in each space provided on the answer sheet. The first one (0) has been done for you.

A must visit

In the words of the old song, breaking up is hard to do. Nobody, I am sure, would deny it. During a recent stay in Zagreb, I went to The Museum of Broken Relationships, (0) ___ (recommend) to me by friends. At first I was sceptical, to say the least. I imagined a place of shallow (1) ___ (observe) and unbearably sentimental tales of past lovers. How wrong can you be! It turned out to be a truly (2) ___ (forget) experience and I can say in all (3) ___ (sincere) that I have never experienced anything like it. The museum is a collection of items (4) ___ (range) from a parachute to a pizza box. These have been donated by individuals all over the world along with the story of their (5) ___ (significant) in the context of a broken relationship. But, contrary to what I’d assumed, the relationships in question were not all romantic ones. There are stories of family members losing track of or falling out with each other. (6) ___ (Lose) of friendship is another common theme. There are even stories about people (7) ___ (decision) it was in their best interests to put pizza and chocolate behind them for ever, thus ending a comforting but ultimately (8) ___ (harm) relationship. Some of the stories are (9) ___ (desperate) tragic while others bring a smile to your lips. A few are virtually (10) ___ (believe). Many, on the other hand, are the sorts of things that could happen to anybody, and most certainly do, on a daily basis. To give you a taste of what the museum has to offer, here’s the story of the little goddess statue. It was contributed by a young woman who had had a brief but (11) ___ (passion) encounter with a backpacker passing through her city. He told her he had brought along this (12) ___ (except) gift on his travels in case he met a special woman. She was that woman and she was to keep the statue and always treasure the memory of him. Unfortunately, the girl happened to notice that Mr Romantic had quite a number of (13) ___ (identity) little statues in his rucksack. No wonder she decided to part with that special gift!

Datenquelle: Bundesministerium für Bildung (BMB), CC BY 4.0

Blog Comment Task

Read the blog post below, then write a blog comment responding to it.

"Everyone Keeps Asking When I'll Finally Settle Down"

by Freya Nilsen ("freya.solo"); 03/03/2026; 06:15 p.m.

I turned thirty-four last month, and at the party my aunt asked, for the third year running, whether I was "still on my own." I've been single for six years, by choice, and I genuinely like my life: my own flat, my own schedule, my own decisions.

What frustrates me isn't being single — it's that people treat it like an unsolved problem rather than a valid way to live. Nobody asks my married friends when they'll finally have their first argument or their first regret; being partnered is just assumed to be the finished, correct state.

Why does society still treat being single past thirty as something that needs fixing?

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You have decided to comment on the blog post above. In your blog comment you should:

1. summarize Freya's attitude towards being asked about her relationship status in one sentence and comment on it.
2. discuss reasons why society often treats being single as a problem to be solved.
3. suggest what people should say instead when they meet a single adult.

Include a range of interactive elements to engage your readers.

Write 250 words (+/- 10%: texts that grossly fail to meet the word limit will be penalized).

Start your text with the following information (not included in the word count), each on its own line, exactly as shown:

User name … (your own username)

Date … (today's date)