READING TEST

DO NOT WRITE IN THIS BOOKLET

PART 1
Questions 1 – 5
 Read two texts and answer the questions.
 For questions 1 – 5, write the correct letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet.

Example Answer
0 Babbage was a famous A researcher.
B scientific author. D
C programmer.
D mathematician.

Text 1

Ada Lovelace was the daughter of the poet, Lord Byron. She was taught by Mary Somerville, a
well-known researcher and scientific author. She introduced Ada Lovelace to Charles Babbage in
June 1833. Babbage was an English mathematician. He was the first who had the idea for a
programmable computer.
In 1842 and 1843, Ada translated the book of an Italian mathematician, Luigi Menabrea, on
Babbage's Analytical Engine. This machine was an important step in the history of computers. It
was the design of a mechanical general-purpose computer. Babbage worked on it for many years
until he died in 1871. But, because of financial and political difficulties, the engine was never built.
The design of the machine was very modern; and only in a hundred of years the first general-
purpose computers were invented.
When Ada translated the article, she added a number of notes which described a method for
calculating numbers with the Analytical Engine. Later it was recognized by historians as the world's
first computer program. She also saw possibilities in it that Babbage hadn't: she realised that the
machine could compose music. The computer programming language 'Ada', used in some aviation
and military programs, is named after her.

1 Who is considered to be an inventor of a A Charles Babbage

modern computer? B Luigi Menabrea
C Mary Somerville
D Ada Lovelace

2 The engine was never completed because A of a very complicated design.

B of a lack of funding and governmental
support.
C of Babbage’s death.
 D a number of notes were missing.

Text 2

When people think of water buffaloes, they often imagine wild and dangerous animals. But unless
they are hurt or angered, water buffaloes are probably the gentlest farm animals in the world.
Despite their frightening appearance, they are much like household pets. Unlike cattle, they are
quiet and have a natural fondness for humans.
Water buffaloes are so patient and mild tempered that there is no need to restrain them during
milking. Because of the animal’s calm nature, water buffaloes almost never have their horns
removed. In contrast, most dairy cattle are dehorned when they are young to prevent them from
injuring one another when they mature.
Another common myth is that water buffaloes can be raised only near water. Though they love to
roll in muddy water, water buffaloes live and reproduce normally in situations where there is not
enough water to do this.
However, several researchers report that water buffaloes who roll in muddy water do not need to
be treated with insecticides because the mud coating that forms on their skin protects them from
insects and parasites.
Another false belief about water buffaloes is that they can live only in tropical areas. Actually,
buffaloes are able to exist in a wide range of climates. Although they are most common in the
tropics, water buffaloes were used to pull snowplows in parts of Europe many years ago.

3 According to the author, water buffaloes are A often dangerous and wild.
B can be easily hurt.
C better household pets than cattle.
D may attack when angry.

4 Rolling in the dirty water helps buffaloes to A reproduce normally.

B replenish water supply.
C protect themselves from insects.
D wash off insecticides.

5 Water buffaloes A used to be common around the world.

B live only in tropical areas.
C can live in different environments.
D are most common in snow areas of
Europe.
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PART 2

Questions 6 – 10

 The people below want to visit California.

 On the next page there are eight places in California.
 Match the person (numbers 6–10) with the place (letters A–H) they would enjoy most.
 For each of these numbers write the correct letter on your answer sheet.

Example Answer
0 Hello! I am Oliver from Canada. I love ferry rides. They're so much fun. I also like F
visiting places with an interesting and unusual history.

Hello! My name is Tice Gusman. I am from a small village in the

Netherlands. I plan to visit California next month. And as far as I like
6
photography which is my hobby, I want to go to the place with
wonderful views to take photos for my future photo-exhibition.

Hi! My name is Johan Ronnestam. I am from the suburbs of

Stockholm. I am a snowboard professional. I really want to go on
7
some exciting rides. I have just taken up surfing too so I would like to
learn more about that.

Hello! My name is Barbara Kruger. My hobby is watching movies

8 and I am a big movie fan. That is why during my visit I’d love to have
my photo taken with all my favourite film stars!

Hello! My name is Veronica Woods. I love to travel. First of all, I

enjoy a change, any kind of change. Secondly, when I am on
9
holiday, two things are most important for me: great shopping and
great food. I want to combine these two things during my trip.

10 Hello! My name is Gabriel Scar. Music is my life. That’s why I’m

writing songs myself, to show to the world what I feel inside. I’m
trying to realize my dream of recording my own songs.
 SANTA CRUZ
A E
Go to the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum,
which is in a lighthouse, and see classic
boards including one eaten by a shark – the
surfer survived! Next stop, the Santa Cruz
Beach Boardwalk for a ride on the Giant
Dipper rollercoaster. Museum has
photographs, surfboards, and other
interesting artifacts tracing over 100 years of
surfing history in Santa Cruz. The museum
shop specializes in great surfing books and
surfing related items.
SAN FRANCISCO
B F
Fisherman’s Wharf is a historic marketplace
on the seafront with trendy restaurants,
shops and street performers. Visit Ghirardelli
Square, home to the amazing Ghirardelli Ice
Cream and Chocolate Shop, and Pier 39, a
lovely market place with shops, restaurants
and music. From here you can take a cruise
round the Bay.
DISNEYLAND
C G
Enter a magical kingdom where you can sail
with pirates, explore exotic jungles, meet
fairy-tale princesses, dive under the ocean
and rocket through the stars—all in the
same day! Disneyland Park has hundreds of
rides such as Space Mountain, Indiana
Jones Adventure, Matterhorn and Pirates of
the Caribbean. A day in Disneyland is a day
you will never forget!
VENICE BEACH
D H
The World famous Venice Beach Boardwalk
is not to be missed. If you are visiting the
Los Angeles area, you owe it to yourself to
come to Southern California’s number one
visitor attraction. This is where
skateboarding started, so you must visit the
famous skate park right on the beach. Also
watch the bodybuilders at Muscle Beach
Gym, which is where Arnold
GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE
Connecting San Francisco and Marin
Country, this is the largest suspension
bridge in the world and one of the most
famous California landmarks. Pedestrians
including wheelchair users and bicyclists
can go on the sidewalks of the bridge
during daylight hours. As you cross the
4200-foot bridge below the famous orange
towers, you’ll enjoy awesome views of the
entire Bay Area.
ALCATRAZ ISLAND
Alcatraz Island offers a close-up look at the
site of the built fort on the West Coast. Rich
in history, once a high-security prison,
Alcatraz Island is one of the Bay Area’s
most interesting tourist attractions. Take
the ferry from Pier 41 and visit the dark cell
blocks that were home to America’s most
wanted criminals.
HOLLYWOOD
You can stand in the footprints of Johnny
Depp at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and
then meet his strangely accurate wax
model, along with Hugh Jackman, Lance
Armstrong, and Brad and Angelina, all at
Madame Tussauds Hollywood. Discover
how films are made at the working movies
studio at Universal Studios Hollywood,
where there are also exciting park rides
and shows.
LOS ANGELES
Have you ever wanted to record yourself?
Now you can at the fascinating Grammy
Museum. You can also learn how to dance
like Michael Jackson, and find out about
the links between blues and rap. The
GRAMMY Museum explores and
celebrates the enduring legacies of all
forms of music; the creative process; the
art and technology of the recording
Schwarzenegger started his career. Come process; and the history of the GRAMMY
and see for yourself! Awards, the premier recognition of
recorded music accomplishment.
PART 3

Questions 11 – 15
 Look at the statements below about the epidemiological situation in Chile.
 Read the article to decide if each statement is true (T) or false (F).
 If it is true, write T on your answer sheet.
 If it is false, write F on your answer sheet.

Example Answer

0 The article is about the epidemiological situation in Chile. T

11 The country’s public health system is not effective in detecting AIDS.

12 About 50 percent of infected patients’ notification failures can be proved.
13 Alvaro Erazo criticized the functioning of the epidemiological security system.
14 The groups dealing with AIDS in Chile stated that 40,000 people weren't informed about the
disease.
15 The government stated that HIV-positive people were going to be informed in a confidential
way.

Chile's health minister said that the country's public health system had failed to notify at least 512
people that they were infected with HIV, and that private-sector services did not inform an
additional 1,364 that they were carrying the virus, which causes AIDS.
Speaking to lawmakers in Santiago, the health minister, Alvaro Erazo, said that in about half of the
cases there was no evidence that anyone tried to reach the patients. "There is no justification for
that," Erazo told members of Chile's Congress.
The health minister's admission came just weeks after his predecessor, Maria Soledad Barria, was
forced to resign after revelations that a hospital in Iquique, in the north, had failed to notify dozens
of patients that they were HIV-positive.
Erazo stated that some of the notification problems resulted from a lack of coordination between
the National AIDS Commission and the Health Ministry, and that epidemiological security "was not
functioning".
The Central Metropolitan Health Service in Santiago, the capital, said that it would open an
investigation into the causes of the 107 cases of patients' not being notified under its jurisdiction. It
expected to have results in two weeks.
Two groups dealing with AIDS in Chile, Asosida, a coalition of nongovernmental groups, and Vivo
Positive, said in a joint statement that the notifications scandal was "the worst health crisis that the
country has been through in the last several years." The groups added that the negligence had
been "a flagrant violation of human rights and of the right to life".
Cecilia Sepulveda, the dean of the School of Medicine at the University of Chile, estimated that
about 40,000 people in Chile do not know that they are infected with HIV.
Meanwhile, the government said it was making an intense effort to locate and inform the patients of
their status. Erazo vowed it would be done in as confidential a manner as possible.
But that did not appear to be happening in every case. A 28-year-old man in Puerto Montt, a city
south of the capital, told Radio Cooperative in Santiago that two health officials came to his
workplace in an ambulance two weeks ago and, in the presence of his boss, told him he was HIV-
positive. The following day, he said, his boss told him not to return to work.
 INTENTIONALLY BLANK

PART 4

Questions 16 – 20
  Read the text and questions below.
 For each question (16 – 20), write the correct letter – A, B, C or D – on your answer
sheet.

Example Answer
A Iran and Iraq.
0 The Gulf Conflict began with a conflict B Iraq and Kuwait.
between A
C Iran and Saudi Arabia.
D Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

Let us look at the background history for Gulf Conflict. Although we tend to call the 1990/91 conflict
the Gulf War this was not the first Gulf war in this region. From 1980 to 1988 Iraqi fought a bloody
war against its neighbour Iran. In 1980 Iraqi invaded over a border dispute over the ownership of
the Shatt Al Arab waterway which borders the two countries. For years Iraqi steadily lost ground
against the numerically superior but technologically inferior Iranians. In the 1988 the Iraqis changed
tactics and by using chemical weapons, massive artillery bombardments and the Republican Guard
it made rapid advances rolling back the Iranians until when the War ended they had gained 500
miles of territory. The Waterway was so clogged with silt and debris it was now useless. The war
left Iraq with over $80 billion worth of debts mainly to Kuwait. It was these tactics of chemical and
artillery bombardment, which the Coalition forces were expecting during the later Gulf war, and
these debts, which were the seeds of that future conflict.
By 1990 Iraq was in severe financial difficulties the price of oil was low and Iraq relied on this as its
main source of income. It accused Kuwait of overproducing and flooding the market with cheap oil.
Kuwait agreed to lower production but this failed to pacify Sadamm Hussain. He had a second
grievance with Kuwait that of the Rumalia oil field in northern Kuwait. The Iraqis owed half this oil
field and wanted the rest of it, so they accused the Kuwaitis of stealing oil from the Iraqi half of the
oil field.
With the Western powers focused on Europe and the end of the Cold War few paid much attention
to the Iraqis threats to Kuwait. Even when conflict looked likely it was thought that if they did invade
it would be for limited objectives such as the oil field. The only intelligence agency to predict the
invasion was the CIA and then it was on the day before the Iraqis invaded.
On 2nd Aug 1990 100,000 Iraqi troops invaded Kuwait spearhead by 3 divisions of the Republican
Guard. It was well organized with Heli-bourne and Amphibious assaults, with Special Forces
landing at key sites and ground controllers disguised as civilians going on ahead to direct Armour.
The resistance was quickly crushed. Saddam Hussein then made his first big mistake, his forces
stopped at the Saudi Arabian border. He had 130,000 men 1,200 tanks and 800 guns against only
72,000 Arabians, if he had invaded it would have provoked a stronger international response but
with Arabian airfields and ports in his hands it would have made any liberation very difficult indeed.
Maybe he was unable to support his forces logistically? Maybe he feared retaliation? No one
knows, but this was to be possibly his only chance to win the War. By December 1990 it was clear
the Iraqis were digging in, and foolishly throughout the following Coalition build up Saddam Hussein
left their forces in Saudi Arabia unmolested.
16 In the beginning of the Iraqi-Iranian conflict A Iranians had an advantage.
B the military tactics had been changing.
C Iranians used NBC’s.
D Iran lost a lot of territory.

17 According to the text, what caused the Gulf War A The aggression from coalition forces.
1990-91? B US interest in cheap oil.
C Iraq’s international debts.
D Changing of international prices on oil.

18 In 1990 before the war A Kuwait lowered oil prices.

B Iraq accused Kuwait in stealing the oil.
C Iraq overproduced Kuwait in oil.
D Kuwait invaded Saudi Arabia.

19 Before the war western countries A underestimated Iraq’s intentions in the

region.
B
paid no attention to intelligence warnings.
C
created coalition to invade Kuwait.
D closely observed Iraqi preparation for the
invasion.

20 According to the text, Iraqi leader made a mistake A

when he gave the order to attack Coalition forces.
B
failed to invade Saudi Arabia.
C
neglected international response for an
invasion.
D
Failed to support his forces logistically.

THIS IS THE END OF THE READING TEST.