STANAG 6001 Bi-Level Test for Levels 2 and 3, Sample Tasks for Reading

Estonian Testing Team and Latvian NATO STANAG Testing Group

Task 2 A

Read an article in the San Francisco Examiner andcomplete the sentences for questions1-5.

An example (0) has been done for you.

example: 0. So far, Maryhelen Macpherson haslet her spare room to ____7 people____

Mrs Macpherson prefers to use HIP Housing because

______

The occupation of Mrs Macpherson’s present renter is

______

In order to decide whether Peter Cragg was a suitable roommate for Mrs Macpherson,HIP Housing asked him to

______

In addition to lower costs, another advantage of home sharing is that ______

The number of people staying at HIP’s own houses is

______

Home sharing offers alternative to costly rents

WOODSIDE — When her husband died, Maryhelen Macpherson knew her limited income wouldn't pay the rent on the apartment she'd lived in for more than 30 years. Instead of giving up and moving out, however, she decided to rent a room.

Seven roommates later, she swears by the "home-sharing" program run by HIP Housing, a San MateoCounty nonprofit dedicated to helping people find affordable homes. HIP, an acronym for Human Investment Project, is celebrating the silver anniversary of its home-sharing program. With many struggling to keep up with the Peninsula's high housing costs, more than 300 people have taken advantage of home sharing, where renters pay an average rent of just $537 a month.

"It's been great," said Macpherson, 82. "It is comforting to know HIP has already done the research on roommates." These days, she wouldn't dare place an advertisement in the paper, for fear of not knowing the person, Macpherson said. Lucky for her, it doesn't appear she'll have an opening anytime soon. For the last 18 months a native of New Zealand who works nights as a taxi driver, has been Macpherson's roommate.

Peter Cragg, 66, said he was happy to find the home-sharing program. After a falling out with one former roommate, then living at a residential motel on two separate occasions, the comforts of Macpherson's apartment are enough to keep him settled for a while. He has his own bathroom, bedroom and separate entrance and use of the home's kitchen when he pleases. "I'm very happy with it," Cragg said. "I've got no complaints at all."

Living on a cabbie's salary makes it hard to afford an apartment in San MateoCounty, one of the most expensive in the nation for renters and homeowners alike. HIP used questionnaires to determine if he and Macpherson would be compatible beforehand, Cragg said.

"With the average rent of a one-bedroom apartment in the county being over $1,200 per month, home sharing offers an affordable solution and also provides companionship," HIP Housing Director of Programs Laura Fanucchi said.

Home sharing isn't the only program offered to those looking for affordable housing. In fact, HIP serves over 2,000 people each year. Other families have found housing through HIP "self-sufficiency" program. That program helps dozens transition from welfare to owning or renting their own home through cooperative work with groups such as Habitat for Humanity, Fanucchi said.

HIP also has seven affordable-housing complexes, providing homes for about 400 people, mostly seniors or low-income families, in the county.