Although pasta usually grabs the (1)_____ when it comes to Italian cooking,

rice is also a common staple found on tables across Italy. Indeed, whereas
southern Italians eat pasta every day (2)_____, northern Italians eat risotto:
a dish of rice and various other ingredients cooked slowly in a rich stock
until creamy in (3)_____.

The history of risotto is naturally (4)_____ to the history of rice in

Italy. Rice probably arrived on the peninsula sometime during the 10th
century, brought to Sicily by Arab conquerors. Agriculturally, Italy
(5)_____ to be perfect for cultivating rice. The (6)_____ of the land,
the availability of water, and the Mediterranean humidity is just
right for growing the short-grained rice varieties that are (7)_____
for a risotto.

It was in the Lombardia, Veneto, and Piemonte regions of Northern Italy in the
15th century that rice (8)_____ its destiny. Slow-cooking dominated the
culinary landscape of the region. These slow-cooking principles, combined with
the local rice and rich flavours and spices for which the area was known,
created risotto. A quintessential Italian dish, risotto is Northern Italy's
famous and much-loved (9)_____ to the world's cuisine.

The Galapagos Islands are an isolated volcanic archipelago that look barren
(0) from afar but beguiling up (28)_____, especially when light conditions are
right. They are well known for their unique endemic species, and for providing
the inspiration for Darwin's theory of evolution. On (29)_____ thought, they
are not simply well known; they are legendary.

Over a 20-year period, I had made my (30)_____ to most every notable

destination in South America but had never set (31)_____ visiting the
corner of the world that had so captivated Darwin. You cannot just
pitch up; the Galapagos are ninety-seven percent national park; access
is restricted. As a travel destination, they are exclusive. There is
no budget option. I knew a cruise was really the only way to (32)_____
the experience justice, but put off by stereotypes of what a cruise
entails, I was leaving such a trip for my retirement.

Then I heard about the Eclipse. With room for a (33)_____ forty-eight
passengers, the Eclipse is not some 10-deck floating hotel, but a small former
casino ship decked out with kayaks and diving gear. But even more importantly,
a wildlife expert would be on board, to explain what we were seeing and its
significance, and no doubt to make sure that we did no damage in our clumsy
enthusiasm. What was (34)_____, the rarely visited Genovesa Island, renowned
for its abundant bird life, was on the itinerary. The time had clearly come to
(35)_____ over my prejudices. I booked myself a spot aboard the Eclipse, eager
to see what is arguably the most important nature reserve in the Americas.
The advent of television could have meant the (0) end of the line for radio
broadcasting, but over half a century later it is still going (36)_____.

Every morning, listeners across the country tune (37)_____ to their

favourite station as they wake up, drive to work or start going
(38)_____ their daily chores. As social beings, we naturally (39)_____
out the company of others so, in situations where we are alone, the
radio becomes the perfect surrogate companion. As a result, in
(40)_____ to watching television, (41)_____ to the radio tends to be
more of a solitary pastime.

So, what kind of entertainment is on (42)_____? Well, there is

(43)_____ a wide range of broadcasts available that radio caters
(44)_____ almost all tastes: music of every era and style, talk shows,
documentaries, political comment, sport, comedy - you name it, radio's
got it.

Radio is also wonderfully convenient. As (45)_____ as you've got some

kind of receiver, you can listen (46)_____ you are: at home, on the
bus, on the beach, out jogging (47)_____.

Given the popularity of radio, it follows that, (48)_____ it to disappear,

millions of people would probably feel extremely lonely. Many older people in
(49)_____ thoroughly enjoy the companionship of the radio as it serves as a
(50)_____ to the outside world.

At one time, the only way to travel between Europe and America was by ship.
But the days of leisurely five-day (51 ATLANTIC)_____ crossings in large
liners are long gone. Today, long distance travel has become almost (52
EXCLUDE)_____ the business of airlines. Today, travel is all about speed.

Although air travel is fast, airline passengers are still subject to

the (53 EXPECT)_____ hold-ups inherent in any form of travel. Causes
of flight delays include extreme weather, congestion in air traffic,
airline (54 FUNCTION)_____ and complications of baggage loading. Some
passengers merely shrug their shoulders (55 RESIGN)_____ when faced
with the inconvenience of a delayed flight. Others, however, vent
their anger and frustration on any poor (56 OFFICE)_____ unfortunate
enough to walk past them.

But there are ways to (57 CAPITAL)_____ on a flight delay. Leave the airport,
take a shuttle into the city, and hang out for a few hours. If you'd rather
stay put, indulge in some duty-free shopping or hit the food court for an (58
APPETITE)_____ meal. And of course, if you're lucky enough to be stranded at
an airport which offers (59 PAMPER)_____ treatments, entertainment, and more,
take advantage of the fact!

WARREN'S WAY
James Surowiecki talks to the man who was ranked as the world's wealthiest
person in 2008, and the world's third wealthiest in 2011: American business
magnate, investor and philanthropist, Warren Buffett

Warren Buffett's tastes haven't changed much over the years. "I like today
what I liked fifty years ago," he told me the other day. "I was happy when I
was in my twenties, and I don't see a reason to change things." It isn't just
his tastes. Buffett's philosophy of investing has stayed remarkably consistent
over the years. What has changed, however, is Buffett's reputation. No longer
just America's favourite investor, in recent years he's become a kind of
public sage, a role exemplified by his crusade to get the government to raise
taxes on the wealthy. Somehow, at a time when public hostility toward the
super-rich has never been greater, he's become not only the second-richest man
in America but also one of the most revered.

Buffett's disdain for the trappings of wealth can be exaggerated - "When I get
rid of the plane, you'll know I'm broke," he told me - but it's obviously a
big part of his appeal to ordinary Americans. How can you not like a
billionaire who still lives in a house that he bought in 1958? But Buffett's
popularity doesn't stem from his lifestyle alone. More important, his success
evokes an economy very different from today's risky, unstable one. These days,
workers are told that they need to adapt to a world of perpetual change,
constantly reinventing themselves. The investing world is dominated by a
manic-depressive style, in which the average mutual fund turns over nearly its
entire portfolio every year. Yet Buffett has prospered by ignoring all this.
As an investor, he's known for his patience - he says that he likes holding
stocks "forever" - and he prefers a few big bets to an endless number of small
ones. "If you go from flower to flower, you have to find a lot of flowers to
make a lot of money," he told me. "There aren't that many great ideas out
there."

The way Buffett runs his company, Berkshire Hathaway, which owns more than
eighty other companies outright, is similarly out of tune with the times. In
the current stereotype of corporate acquirers, firms like Bain Capital load
companies with debt, downsize their workforces, and strip them of assets.
Buffett doesn't do hostile acquisitions or major restructurings, and he almost
never sells the companies he buys. He admits that this isn't purely rational,
although Berkshire is very profitable. But it plays to his strengths (he likes
buying companies and building them) and mitigates his weaknesses (as he told
me, he hates confrontation). "You've got to create the structures consistent
with what your temperament needs to be," he said. Whatever the personal
reasons for his approach, it's one that seems reassuring.

Another crucial aspect of Buffett's public appeal is his unnervingly even

persona. He's not placid - at 82, he's a garrulous bundle of energy, his
conversation punctuated by little bursts of laughter - but he projects an aura
of profound cool. During the financial crisis, he was the human equivalent of
one of those "Keep Calm and Carry On" signs. It isn't that he's indifferent to
danger. He was, after all, a prescient critic of the perils of programme
trading, derivatives, and the boom in speculation, and in conversation he
seems sceptical about the prospects of really taming the markets: "Once you
let genies out of the bottle in financial markets, you don't get them back."
But his stem critiques of casino capitalism are leavened by a fundamental
optimism about the future. "We've still got pretty damn good capital markets,"
he said, and added that one should "bet that the intelligent thing will
eventually get done." You can dismiss this as Pollyanna-ish - or,
alternatively, as what you would say if you were worth forty-five billion
dollars. But it is part of what makes Buffett likeable: his quintessentially
American conviction that there's no problem we can't solve.

You can see this at work in his campaign to get the rich to pay more in taxes.
There's certainly a moral dimension to it - he calls the fact that he pays a
lower tax rate than his secretary' "an outrage." Yet his tone is less
hectoring than utilitarian: we need more revenue to narrow the deficit, and
having the wealthy pay more in taxes won't hurt them or the economy. His
decision to give away 99% of his wealth feels similarly rational. As he told
me, what his wealth amounts to is a giant pile of "claim cheques" on the
world's resources; claim cheques that are largely "worthless" to him but
potentially valuable to others.

We live in a moment when any argument for higher tax rates is bound to ruffle
conservative feathers. Twice in the past year. Buffett has been publicly told
to 'shut up' about taxation, and last year Fox News labelled him a
'socialist.' Yet Buffett's positions are hardly radical, and the sight of an
unrepentant capitalist out there talking about the greater good reassures
ordinary people that the system is not beyond saving. Rather than fret about
Buffett's being a traitor to his class, Wall Street and the super-rich should
see that his message helps keep the pitchforks at bay. If Buffett didn't
exist, the rich would have had to invent him.

68. What do we learn about Buffett in the first paragraph?

b. he bucks the trend w hen it comes to the public's resentment for the w ealthy
     
Question 68 of 104
Next >>

69. In the second paragraph, the author makes it clear that

d. contrary to popular portrayals, Buffett likes his comforts.

     
Question 69 of 104
Next >>

70. What does the author imply about Buffett's approach to business?

c. Buffett w ould never have been as successful w ith a different personality

     
Question 70 of 104
 Next >>

71. According to the author, it's hardly surprising Buffett has said the 'intelligent thing will
eventually get done' when it comes to the financial markets (paragraph 4), since

b. looking on the bright side of things is part of his make-up.

     
Question 71 of 104
Next >>

72. What is the writer saying in the last paragraph?

     
b. The rich are crazy not to realise Buffett is doing them a favour.

Question 72 of 104
Next >>

73. Overall, the author portrays Buffett as

a. dow n-to-earth and likable.

     
Question 73 of 104
Next >>

mhtXA

Tld9k glinh

HOW SURGERY FOR PETS COULD SAVE HUMAN

LIVES
Many devoted pet owners are happy to spend thousands on operations for their cats and
dogs. These procedures could help teach scientists about human diseases, too.

Neurosurgeon Patrick Kenny is about to cut a tiny hole through the

back of the roof of Harry's mouth and, in an operation that will last
more than four hours, set about removing a pea-sized tumour from a
vital gland at the base of his brain. Who is Harry? Hany is a cat. A
12-year-old maine coon, in fact, being treated at the Royal Veterinary
College's Queen Mother Hospital for Animals (QMHA). Harry's a big old
fella, as maine coons generally are, but he's bigger than he ought to
be because the tumour on his pituitary gland is causing it to produce
far more growth hormone than it should. This has led to Harry getting
diabetes.

81.

g. Paragraph G
         
Some people, of course, will question whether it is right for a state-of-the-
art institution like QMHA - open round the clock, 365 days a year, employing
200-plus highly qualified staff, with cutting-edge operating theatres, the
latest equipment, and even a blood donor programme - to be devoted to treating
pets. Suffice to say, though, that you won't find anyone here, staff or owner,
who does not believe absolutely that if an operation can win a patient even a
year of real quality of life, it is worth the cost. But there is another good
reason for doing this particular operation.

82.

d. Paragraph D
         
The concept of 'one medicine' or 'one health' - the idea that human and
veterinary medicine are not divided, but can and should complement each other
- is not new. Giants of the profession such as Rudolf Virchow, known as the
father of modem pathology, and William Osler, considered the inventor of
modern medical teaching, both preached it, eloquently, in the 19th century.

83.

a. Paragraph A
         
Stijn Niessen, lecturer in internal medicine at the QMHA, believes the
communities can learn from each other. "Around 80% of diabetic cats have Type
2 diabetes - the condition that's costing the NHS £1m an hour," he says.
"There are similarities between inflammatory bowel diseases in dogs and
Crohn's disease, and between Cushing's disease and hyperthyroidism in cats.
Cancers: lymphoma, leukemia. I could name you 100 diseases humans and animals
share and the list would not be complete."

84.

c. Paragraph C
         
Some highly respected human medics are already persuaded of the possible
benefits of a more integrated approach. Niessen works with James Shaw, a
professor of regenerative medicine. He says doctor-vet collaboration is "only
touching the surface at the moment" and could potentially prove "very
exciting". Shaw says regenerative medicine in pets "holds enormous promise in
the development of therapies that may also work with humans". Rodents, Shaw
says, are not so helpful. "The circumstantial evidence is that what we see in
mice isn't necessarily the same as what we see in humans."

85.

h. Paragraph H
         
For most of the owners whose animals are treated here, of course, 'one
medicine' means little. They are simply devoted to their pets, and want them
to get better. Nigel Gale has brought his dog, Max, in for a check up after
surgery six weeks ago. Max has a serious immune-system disorder. "There's no
cure," says Nigel. "It's about maintenance now." Nigel is uninsured and has
spent £6,000 on Max since he first fell ill. "But what," asks Nigel, "is the
alternative? I certainly don't see one."

86.

f. Paragraph F
         
Most could probably earn more elsewhere: the QMHA is self-financing, and not
for profit. "I earn half what I could make in some places," says one vet
frankly, watching two nurses take Alfie, a dachshund recovering from surgery
to correct a disc problem, for a walk down the corridor in a supporting sling.
"But people come, and stay, because it's cutting-edge. We're advancing
veterinary science."

87.

b. Paragraph B
                 
Did it work? "He's fine," says Richard. "He's eating more moderately,
and his character's starting to come back - if you put your head down,
on his level, he'll give you this affectionate little head-butt, like
he used to." More importantly, says Richard, the diabetes appears to
have gone: "Harry's blood-sugar seems to be at the right level, and he
hasn't needed any insulin since the operation. It's been a complete
success."

A But despite the fact that a number of diseases are shared by humans and animals, it
has only recently begun to gain traction, spurred on in particular by the
similarities discovered recently between the gene profiles of humans and many
animals. In 2007, the American Veterinary Association launched a drive 'to unite
human and veterinary medicine to improve animal and public health'. In Britain, the
Welcome Trust has begun funding research into the historical convergences between
human and animal medicine.

B There's little doubt of that as far as Harry is concerned. A week after the op, I
speak to his owner, Richard Mills. He only got Harry in January; wanting to "give
an old cat a home because everyone always wants young ones". Richard is insured,
and didn't think long about having the operation; "It's about quality of life," he
says. "Harry wouldn't have had much without it. And if it can benefit other cats,
and even maybe humans, then so much the better."

C Human medicine, he continues, puts "a lot of money and effort into trying to
replicate these diseases, in mice for example. That can certainly help. But at best
they're basically models - not the naturally occurring disease. And yet in cats and
dogs we have those very diseases, occurring naturally." Andy Lessey, the
endocrinology researcher who arrives to take Harry's tumour off to the labs,
agrees: "There's massive potential human application."

D "What's fascinating is that this disease is quite rare in humans, but quite
prevalent in cats," says Kenny. "And we still don't know what causes these tumours.
Are there genetic factors? So these tumour cells will be cultured, and researchers
will try to find out what's gone wrong with the gland. This operation could change
the way we deal with this disease in people."
E The operation Patrick Kenny is performing has been done only once before at the
QMHA. The hospital treats up to 8,000 patients a year (most referred by vets) for
every conceivable condition: acute heart failure to advanced neuromuscular
disorders; malignant tumours to gastrointestinal disease. The array of disciplines
offered at QMHA is as complete as anyone could want: cardiology, dermatology,
internal medicine, ophthalmology, soft-tissue surgery.

F Vets from around the world come to work at QMHA. Clinical veterinary medicine in
Britain is recognised as pretty much the best there is (there are almost as many
specialists working here as in the whole of the rest of Europe), but this hospital
in particular, says neurologist Birgit Parzefall, who has finally (after three
attempts) made it to the QMHA from her native Germany is seen as "exceptional" and
"right at the top of everyone's list".

G Harry has been needing insulin injections and lots of them: 12 units, morning and
night. According to Harry's owner, he is miserable and the insulin isn't making any
appreciable difference. Kenny thinks Harry's options are "not plentiful".

H Cats and dogs, on the other hand, look "much more like human patients. It's
becoming increasingly clear that the diseases are very similar. And whereas
regulations are just as stringent as for a regenerative medicine trial on a person,
with pets it's more acceptable, simply because the risk-benefit is different." Not,
he emphasises, that this is "a cheap and cheerful way of doing animal testing.
You're talking about real benefit to an animal with a relatively short life who is
unwell."

NAPOLEON BONAPARTE
What characteristics marked out one of history's greatest military geniuses?

A Napoleon Bonaparte stirs the emotions. Some find him heroic and regard his
opponents as reactionary and unimaginative. Others think him mad with ambition and
responsible for many of the sins of his era. Between these extremes there are those
who find some aspects of the man admirable and others regrettable. Of course,
Bonaparte was anything but pure, anything but modest, anything but democratic, and
anything but a peacemaker. But in the end, who else that sat on a throne in Europe
could claim to be? Should he be assailed for sins that were so sadly common? What
is it about Napoleon Bonaparte that makes him the object of such unique criticism?
Is it because he holds a special place in our imaginations, a place that we hope
would be an example of our better selves? Was his genius, good fortune, and
opportunity enough to condemn him - not so much for what he did, but what he failed
to do? In the end is our greatest disappointment in Bonaparte simply that he was
merely human?

B Napoleon was a military genius in the strategic and tactical handling of armies and
although he provided no large scale reforms of armies (or, indeed, their equipment
and techniques), he excelled at the refinement of an art that already existed. One
of the most important factors of Napoleon's personality and its effect on his
 abilities as a military commander was his genius to inspire others. He believed in
the maxim that 'spirit and drive is to the physical as three is to one'. It was
through his system of awards (an appealing to soldiers' 'soul in order to electrify
the man') that Napoleon was so successful in obtaining unquestionable obedience,
loyalty and devotion from his rank and file.

C The name Napoleon Bonaparte is surrounded by so vast an array of myth and legend
that it is quite difficult to separate fact from fiction. It is said that Napoleon
displayed outstanding leadership qualities while still at school. But this is
undoubtedly the product of the school of Napoleonic mythology that was
systematically promoted for political reasons in 19th century France, since it
hardly squares with the general picture of the taciturn child with an inferiority
complex that has come down to us. Napoleon was, in truth, a reserved child,
resentful of his peers. On the other hand, he excelled at maths - a qualification
that determined his specialisation as an artillery officer. This was a stroke of
luck (one of many that Napoleon benefited from) inasmuch as the artillery was the
most prestigious branch of the army under the old regime. But the biggest stroke of
fortune Napoleon had was to be born when he was - in the age of the French
Revolution. The Revolution turned the whole world upside down and presented an
ambitious young man (Napoleon was always ambitious - a consequence of his
resentment at his inferior status) with new and vast opportunities.

D No man previously ever concentrated authority to such a point, nor showed mental
abilities at all comparable to Napoleon's: an extraordinary power of work;
prodigious memory for detail and fine judgment in their selection; a luminous
decision-making capacity and a simple and rapid conception - all placed at the
disposal of a sovereign will. And no head of state gave expression more imperiously
than this Corsican to the popular passions of the French of that day: abhorrence
for the emigrant nobility, fear of the ancient regime, dislike of foreigners,
hatred of England, an appetite for conquest evoked by revolutionary propaganda, and
the love of glory.

E Psychological studies of 'great men and women' frequently serve as a fig leaf to
disguise the absence of an understanding of broad socio-historical processes. The
study of history is replaced by trivial personal observations. Instead of science,
we have gossip. A careful study of the character and background of Napoleon
Bonaparte can furnish us with many useful insights into his behaviour. But we are
left with a small amount of useful information that can help us to attain a deeper
understanding of Bonaparte. Men and women make their own history, but they do not
make it freely, in the sense that the scope and results of their actions are
strictly limited by the given socio-economic context that is prepared independently
of their will.