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    NUR HANNAH BINTI OSMAN YEE Moe
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    11 views18 pages

    MUET Reading Nov 2012

    Uploaded by

    NUR HANNAH BINTI OSMAN YEE Moe

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
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    ‘CONFIDENTIAL* ec erererM oA ArSHN USrereRK ani AHUAN eEErCRN SM WALerA IRFEFERAS ars SEES SUN VS EEE nua Mestiepereeme suite ata arenes Seana ars. test EE B00/3/N Gace caae. tee SN Oy 9019 1 Fi eather nn wanes MEETS aN tacoma HES erecta uC Re renayaca ee CES Hateoene Udy STAN UNIVERSIEY ENGLISH Test | | EU eae TUONO TUT ERRNO MAJUISPEPERIKSAANMALAYSI4PAPER 3. READING SPEPERIKGAANMAL AYSIA UE reer NUAE A RGGBATER, 3 RE, ie eatcanacren Hl Pereira ea SSRN SAU eg ATA UaL cere iets SEE 00 miata CA avatce AT A HALE SE A CA ade eOOMRRN ARSE RNA HEPES aS SeenON ALAS AS MAJLIS PEPERIKSAAN MALAYSIA (MALAYSIAN EXAMINATIONS COUNCIL) Instructions to candidates: DO NOT OPEN THIS QUESTION PAPER UNTIL YOU ARE TOLD TO DOSO. There are fortytve questions in this test For each question, choose the most appropriate answer, Indicate your answer on the separate answer sheet given Read the insrction onthe wer sheet carefully Atompt al questions, ‘This question paper consist of 18 printed pages and 2 blank pages. ‘© Malls Peperiksaan Malaysia 2012 MUET soos Turn over “This question paper is CONFIDENTIAL until he testis over ‘CONFIDENTIAL® (CONFIDENTIAL 2 (Question 1107 are based on the following pasate. 1 Thehotel business ie relentess, The management has to provide twenty-four hours service, 365 days a year, and every single day is just s important as any other day. Not surprisingly, M&M Hotel, which prides itself on providing excellent customer seeviee, had for many years a deeply-ingrained culture of ‘face time’ ~ the more hours you putin, the better. That philosophy of ‘ee and be seen” was effective for serving evstomer, but it had a price: the management were finding it nereasingly tough to recruit talented people and some existing mmagers were leaving, often because they wanted o spend more time with Ui Families, 2 In the following year, M&M Hotel implemented a test programme to help rmanggers strike a better balance between their professional and personal tives ‘while maintaining the quality of it customer service and the bottom line of its financial results. They fouud alot of quick fixes by eliminating redundant meetings ‘and other inefficient procedures. For instance, they leart that managers could file contin business reports loss frequently and that many of the regular scheduled ‘meetings were unnecessary. ‘They also re-examined certain hotel procedures they ‘were following, traditionally. For instance, the scheduled overlap time of front {deske manager's withthe person on the nex shifl was reduced from one hour to only fftcen minctes. Adkitionally, managers were given better Information Technol (11 suppor so that they could communicate with customers through email and get ‘connected o relevant sections within minutes to get immediate assistance 3 [At the end of the test programme, managers reported working an average of five hours less each week. Perhaps, more important, was the change in anitudes Figure 1) Figure 1: Atitude Adjustment Bete Ve Tiedt daysend [EB cena BE serpents tice ine 00/30 10 20 "This question paper is CONFIDENTIAL until the testis over. CONFIDENTIAL* (CONFIDENTIAL* 3 4 Before the test programme, 77% of managers felt that their jobs were so demanding that they could not take adequate care of their personal and family 25 responsibilities. At the end ofthe programme, that pereentage had plumicted 043%, Inadditon, the percentage of managers who felt that the emphasis was ‘on hours worked, plunged from 43% to 15%. One of the most important things show was that people could be just as productive when they worked fewer hours This isso hecause they are exir-motivated to get things done and they do not 30 Waste time in doing what they need to do. (Adapted from Harvard Business Review, November 2001) 11 Inthe “face time" work culture, the longer-a manager spends time at work, the better itis. A Tne B False © Notstated 2 The main objective ofthe test programme was fo change the employes attitude towards their job, A True B False © Notstated 3. The test programme that was implemented reviewed the work procedures, A True B False © Notstated 4) In Figure 1, the test programme showed an increase in the percentage of managers who felt tired atthe end ofthe day. A Te B False © Not stated 'S From Figure I, itean be infered thatthe managers were happy with the changes mad. A Tre B False © Not stated 6 Work productivity declined with fewer hours at work, A Te B Pate © Not stated s003N [Turn over “This question paper is CONFIDENTIAL until the tests over. CONFIDENTIAL* ‘CONFIDENTIAL* 4 7. ean be concluded from the passage that working in a hotel industy is rewarding, A Tue B False © Notstated 00/30 ‘This question paper is CONFIDENTIAL until the tests ver. CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL® 5 Questions ® 1014 are based onthe following passage S00 "This question paper is CONFIDENTIAL until the testis over, Caffeine Myths ‘Through the years, the public has been buifeted by much misguided information about ealleine and its most common source, coffee. In March, the Centre for Science in the Public Imerest published » comprehensive appraisal of scientific reports in its Nurition Action Health newsletter. lis findings and those of other research reports follow Hydration. It was long thought that caffeinated beverages were diuretics, but studies reviewed last year found that people who consumed drinks containing up to 550 milligrams of caffeine produced oo more urine than when drinking fluids free ‘of cafeine. Above 575 milligrams, the drug was a diuretic, So even a Starbucks Grande, with 330 milligrams of calfeine, will not send you to a bathroom any sooner than if you drank 16 ounces of pure water, Drinks containing usual doses of caffeine are hydrating and, lke water, conteibute tothe body's daily water needs. Cancer. Panic swept tis coffee-dependent nation in 1981 when & Harvard study tied the drink to 2 higher risk of pancreatic cancer. Coffee consumption ‘temporarily plummeted, andthe researchers later coneluded that perhaps smoking, not eos, was the culprit Inan international review of 66 studies last year, seientsts found cove drinking. had litle iPany effect on the risk of developing kidney cancer. In fact, another review suggested thai compared with peapte who donot drink eofe, those who do have half the risk of developing liver cancer. And.a study of 59 000 women in Sweden found no connection between coffee, tea or caffeine consumption and breast cancer, Weight loss. Here's a bummer. Although caffeine speeds up metabolise, with 100 milligrams burning an extra 75 to 100 calories a day, no long-term benefit to ‘weight control has been demonstrated. In fat, in a study of more than $8 000 ‘health professionals followed for 12 years, both men and women who increased thor caffeine consumption gained more weight than those who did not. Probably the most important effec of eaffeine are is ability to enhance mood, ‘mental and physical performance. At consumption levels up to 200 milligrams, ‘consumers report an improved sense of well-being, heppiness, energy, alertness and Socidblty: Roland Griffiths of the Joins Hopkins School of Medicine reported that higher amounts sometimes cause anxiety and stomach upset Millions of sleep-deprived Americins depend on caffeine to help them make it through their day and drive safely. The drug improves aleriness and reaction time Inthe sloop-deprived, it improves memory and the ability to perform complex tasks, Forthesctive, cefleineenances endurance in aerobic atviies an performance in anaerobic ones, perhaps because it blunts the perception of pain and aids the ability to burn fat for fue. 20 25 30 35 40 [Turn over CONFIDENTIAL® CONFIDENTIAL* 6 n Another review found that compared with aon-coffee drinkers, people who rank fourto six cups of cofleea day, withor without caffeine, had 828 percent lower risk of Type 2 diabetes. This benefit probably comes from coffee’s antioxidants and chloragenie aca. (Adapted from New York Times, August 2008) 8 The research findings presented inthis article are taken from a study carried out by the Centre for Science in the Public Interest. A Te B False © Notstated 9A person who drinks 700 milligrams of coffee will pass more urine than someone who drinks the same amount of a caffeine-free drink A True B False © Not stated 10 Scientists say that coffee hydrates our body better than water. A Tne B False © Not stated 11. Findings ofthe study on coffee and cancer concluded that A. there is no clear link between coffe drinking and cancer| B there isa clear link between pancreatic cancer and caffeine C more research is needed to draw the comnection between caffeine and breast cancer 12 The writer uses the phrase, Here’ bummer (line 24) to A. expose side effects B express dissatisfaction © debunk a misconception 13. In paragraph 8, it can be infered that A. higher level of caffeine will lad to greater alertness B_ one should not consume more than 200 milligrams of caffeine € consuming caiTeine will affect one’s mood more than physical performance 14 After reading the text, the reader could be persuaded to A. tink more coffee B stop drinking coffee © reduce caffze consumption 00/3" “This question paper is CONFIDENTIAL until the tests over. CONFIDENTIAL* CONFIDENTIAL* 7 Questions 1S to 21 are based on the following passage 1 BoosN *This question peper is CONFIDENTIAL until the test is over. ‘When Ariel Lugo takes visitors tothe rainforests of Puerto Rico, he likes to play a lite trick. First, the ecologist shows off the beautiful surroundings: the diversity of plant life on the forest floor: the densely-packed trees merging into a canopy, bigh ‘overhead, Only when his audience is suitably impressed does he reveal that they are actually inthe midst of what many conservationists would dismiss as weeds «collection of non-native species growing uncontrolled, on land once used for agriculture, His guests are almost always ken aback, and who wouldn't be? For yeas we hhave been fold that invasive alien species are driving native ones to extinetion and eroding the integrity of ancient ecosystems. The post invasion world is supposed tobe beak, biologicaly-impoverished wasteland, not something you could mistake for untouched wilderness Lugo is one ofa small but growing numberof researchers who think much of ‘hat we have been told about non-native species is wrong. Alien species, they argue, are rarely as monstrous a threat as they have been painted. In fue, ina world ‘that has been dramatically altered by human activity, many could be important alli in rebuilding healthy ecosystems, Given the chance, alien species may just sive us from the worst consequences of our own destructive actions, Many conservationists cringe at such talk. They view non-native species as ecological tumours, spreading uncontrollably at the expense of natives, To them the high rate of accidental introductions — hundreds of alien species are now well ‘established in ecosystems from the Mediterranean Sea to Hawai — is one of the biggest threats facing life on Earth. Mass extinction of native species is one fear Another is the loss of what many regards the keys to environmental health: the networks of relationships that exist berwcen aative species after thousands or even millions of years of eo-evoution Such concems have fuelled an all-out war Vast sums are being. spent ‘on campaigns to eradicate or control the spread of bighly-invasive exotics, ‘Conservation groups enlist teams of volunteers to uproot gerlic mustard from lal parks. Government agencies fll waterways with poisonous chemicals to bat the advance of Asian carp, Most governments have no choice but to join the fights ‘under the terms ofthe Convention of Biological Diversity. ‘Advocates for non-native species do not deny that they can sometimes create :major problems, particularly incases where disease-causing microbes are introced ‘nto anew host population, But they argue that often the threat is overblown, For ‘one thing, many species are not nearly as problematic as they are male out tobe. The notorious cane toad, introduced into Australia i the 19205 0 contol pests ‘of the sugar cane erops, is considered a major threat to the continent's unique feuna, Its highly-toxic skin has long been seen as a death sentence for native predators, while it rapid spread is thought to have occurred atthe expense of ether anuphibians, ‘Ye, the irs serious impact study on the cane toad recently concluded that they may in fact be innocent ofall charges 18 20 2s 30 3 (Adapted Srom New Seientis, January 20,2011) [Turn over CONFIDENTIAL* ‘CONFIDENTIAL* 8 18 Whats the dtl ric (ine 2) played by Ariel Lugo when he takes visitors to the rainforests of Puerto Rico? A. He shows the visitors uncontrolled weeds instead ofthe rainforests B_He makes them betiove that what they ae seeing is native tothe land. CH takes them to sce the impoverished wasteland and not the wilderness. 16 In paragraph 2, the guests are described as almost afways taken aback (line 8). This is because A. weeds have overtaken former agricultural land B_ non-native species have flourished alongside native species © the beautiful surroundings are actually inhabited by non-native species 17 The main idea of paragraph 3 i that ‘A. non-native species could be allies in the fight to save the ecosystems B itis a popular belieF that alien species area threat wo the environment © the effects of human activity can be more disastrous than that of alien species 18 Conservationists are of the opinion that A non-native species will destoy the natives relationships between native species will be aliered with time C alien species are now more established than natives inthe ecosystems 19 The writer mentions the use of volunteers to uproot garlic mustard from local parks to ‘A lend support to the work ofthe Convention of Biological Diversity B illustrate the attempts at controling the spread of non-native species C show the extent of money spent on campaigns to eradicate alien invaders 20 In paragraph 6, advocates for non-native species claim that ‘A. the dangers of introducing non-native species have been proven B_ problems created by alion spies are not as serious as made out to be © initoducing disease-causing microbes into the host population ean be fital 21 The following are trac of the cane toad except A. its skins poisonous, B ickills other amphibians C it was introduced imto Australia to control pests ofthe sugar eane 80:3. "This question paper is CONFIDENTIAL until the tests over, CONFIDENTIAL* (CONFIDENTIAL* 9 ‘Questions 22 29 are hased onthe following passage. 1 800130N *This question paper is CONFIDENTIAL unl the testis over. ‘Today when we think ofthe world’s teeming billns of humans, we tend to think of overpopulation, poverty, disease, iasabilty ané environmental destucton, Humans are the ease of most of the planet's problems. Whatifthat were to change? What ifthe average humans were able 1 contribute mare than conse? To ad smore than subract? Think ofthe world as if each person drives a balance sheet On the negative side are the resources they consume without replacing. On the Positive side ae the eomtibutions they mak inthe form of esouces they pees, the artifacts of value they build, and be ides and wzehnologes that might create a beter fue for their families, their communities, and the plact as @ whole, Out future hangs on whether the sum of those balance sheets ean tur positive ‘What might make that possible? One key reason for hope is that so far we have bucly scraped the surface of human potential. Throughouthistr, he vas jority of humans have not been the people they could have been. Take this imple thought experiment. Pick you fvourte scientist, mathematician, or curl hero, Now imagine that instead of being born when and where they wer, they had instead bcen born withthe same ailies in a povery-sucken village. Would they have rade the same conribaton they did make? Probably not. They would not have received he education and encouragement it ook to achiove what they di IF only we could find « way of unlocking that potential. Two keys might be enough: knowledge and inspiration. Ifyou eam hwo tansform your Lie fr the biter and you ae inspired to act on that knowledge, there is «ood chance that Your life will ndeed improve. ‘There are many scary things about today's werk, but what is thniling is that the means of spreading both knceledae and inepration have never been great. Five years ago, teacher or professor who is able change the lives a hit o her stulens could realistically hope to reach maybe hundred of them a yea. Toda, that same teacher can communicate through video to millions of eager students. The cot of distbutng a recorded leture anywhere inthe word via the Intemet, bas effectively fallen to zero. This has happened with breathtaking spocd! and its implications are no yet widely undersood. But itis surely eapable of wansforming jlobal education FFor one thing, the realization that today’s best teachers can become global celebrities will boost the calibre of those who teach, For the first time, itis possible to imagine ambitious, brilliant eighteen-year-okls putting “teacher” at the top of their career choice list. Indeed, the very definition of ‘great teacher’ will expand, as ‘numerous people outside the profession who can communicate iasportant ideas find new incentive to make that talent available io the world. Additionally, teachers can amplify their own abilities by inviting into their classrooms, on video, the world’s greatest scientists, visionaries and tutors, 10 20 30 38 {Turn over CONFIDENTIAL* CONFIDENTIAL* 10 6 ‘Now think of this from the pupils’ perspective. In the past, your success depended on whether you were lucky enough to have a ereat mentor or teacher in 40 your neighbouthood. The vast majority have not been that fortunate, Buta young tir bom in Afica today will probably have acces, in ten years’ time, 10a cell phone with a high-resolution sereen, a Web-connection, and more power than the ‘computer you own today. We can imagine her obiining face-to-face insight form her choice of the work's great tachers. She will gt the chance to be what she 45 can be, (Adapted ftom This Will Change Everything, John Brockman (Ed.) HarperCollins, 2010) 22. The writer introduces his artile witha gloomy pictnre of the world to A. contrast with his vision of a beter world explain thet the world’s problems are man-made highligh the reality that it would be difficult to change the world 23 The question To auld more than subtract? (lines 4 and 5) ____the previous ‘question. A. restates B. iustates © elaborates: 4 What might make thai possible? (line 11) ‘What is the answer tothe question above? A More resources should be produced B_ Human potential should be exploited more fully — © Contributions should balance with consumption 25. The writer brings inthe simple shougin experiment (lines 13.and 14) to A. show that people have different abilities B_ compare the contributions of past heroes with today’s heroes ‘C support the idea thatthe poor have limited opportunities to excel 26 Paragraph 4 lists the following reasons why the Intemet ean tmnsform education globally except ‘A. itean quickly reach huge student populations ~ B. itis cheap means to distribute recorded lectures © itadopts teaching techniques that students are Familiar with 80030 “This question paper is CONFIDENTIAL until the testis over. CONFIDENTIAL* CONFIDENTIAL* " 27 The main outcome of making great teachers accesible to the masses through the Web is ‘A that they will become celebrities 1B people will learn to communicate better C the teaching profession would atract more talent 28 In paragraph 6, the writer makes the following points except A. children ean decide whom they want to lear from Bevery child will have equal opportuityto education © even chikren from remote areas ca lear from great teachers 29 Which ofthe following best exprosses the central idea ofthe passage? A A Web-empowered revolution is taking place in education 'B_Web-based education hes replaced the tational classroom © Tho Web has the power to inspire and disseminate knowledge 800/31N [Turn over "This question paperis CONFIDENTIAL unl the tes is over. CONFIDENTIAL* CONFIDENTIAL* R Questions 30 1 37 are based om te following passage. 1 Stories and psychological description are effective ways of bil appeal. Emotional appeal works best witen people want to be persuaded, ‘emotional Even when you need to provide statistics oF numbers 0 convince the eaefil reader that your anecdote is @ representative example, tolling a story fist makes ‘your message more persuasive. Experiments with both high school teachers and ‘quamtitaively-rained Master of Business Administration (MBA) students show that people are more likely (0 believe a point and more likely ta be committed to it when points were made by examples, stories anc statistics; the combination was ‘more effective than statistics alone, In another experimes longer when the audience had read tories than when they Recent research suggests that stories are more persuasive because people remember them, As with other appeals, the emotional appeal should focus on the reader: To

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