UTBK_Latihan Soal : Bahasa Inggris

Whales undertake some of the longest migrations on earth, often swimming many thousands
of miles, over many months, to breed in the tropics. The question is why? In a research paper
published in Marine Mammal Science, scientists propose that whales that forage in polar waters
migrate to low latitudes to maintain healthy skin.
“I think people have not given skin molt due consideration when it comes to whales, but it is
an important physiological need that could be met by migrating to warmer waters,” said Robert
Pitman, lead author of the new paper and marine ecologist with Oregon State University’s
Marine Mammal Institute. More than a century ago, whalers recognized that most whales that
forage in high latitudes migrate to the tropics for calving. Scientists have never agreed on why.
Because of their size, large whales should be able to successfully give birth in frigid polar
waters. Due to reduced feeding opportunities in the tropics, most whales fast during their
months-long migrations.
All birds and mammals regularly shed their skin, fur, or feathers in a process known as molting.
Pitman and his co-authors propose that whales foraging in the freezing waters of Antarctica
conserve body heat by diverting blood flow away from their skin. That would reduce the
regeneration of skin cells and halt the normal sloughing of skin. Migrating to warmer water
would allow whales to revive their skin metabolism and molt in an environment that does not
sap their body heat. The authors suggest that this drives their migrations.
The two lead authors on the study first proposed in 2011 that skin molt could drive the
migration for certain Antarctic killer whales. With new data, they now propose the same for
all Antarctic killer whales and possibly all whales that migrate to the tropics.

1. This passage mainly discusses how...

A. whales are affected by seasonal changes.
B. whales skins differ from other mammals.
C. whales maintain their skin.
D. whales prepare for breeding.
E. whales can maintain their skin depending on their environment.
2. What may happen when whales don’t emigrate to the tropical area?
A. They won’t be able to recover their skin metabolism.
B. They couldn’t give birth and feed their children.
C. They should be able to successfully shed their skin.
D. They will have an extremely varied diet due to nutritional needs.
E. They could stop the blood circulation to stay healthy.
3. The author implies that…
A. summer is the best time to maintain their blood circulation and physiological needs.
B. killer whales have proposed the longest migration ever recorded.
C. both ordinary whales and killer whales have a high probability of skin irritation.
D. they couldn’t shed their skin in polar water and instead they build a thick
microscopic diatom layer.
 E. the whales have introduced a way to maintain a healthy skin by swimming in
tropical area.
4. In presenting the ideas, the author starts by…
A. explaining the migration route.
B. stating the current concerns about the whales’ health.
C. detailing the value of maintaining the skin.
D. reporting the effect of fasting during their migration.
E. describing the reason of migrating.
5. The word sap is closest in meaning to…
A. secrete
B. exude
C. absorb
D. shine
E. accost

Our body expends energy when we digest food for the absorption, digestion, transport, and
storage of nutrients. This process, known as diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT), is a measure of
how well our metabolism is working and can differ depending on mealtime.
“Our results show that a meal eaten for breakfast, regardless of the number of calories it
contains, creates twice as high diet-induced thermogenesis as the same meal consumed for
dinner,” said the study’s corresponding author, Juliane Richter, M.Sc., Ph.D., of the University
of Lübeck in Germany. “This finding is significant for all people as it underlines the value of
eating enough at breakfast.”
The researchers conducted a three-day laboratory study of 16 men who consumed a low-calorie
breakfast and high-calorie dinner, and vice versa in a second round. They found identical
calorie consumption led to 2.5 times higher DIT in the morning than in the evening after high-
calorie and low-calorie meals. The food-induced increase of blood sugar and insulin
concentrations was diminished after breakfast compared with dinner. The results also show
eating a low-calorie breakfast increased appetite, specifically for sweets.
“We recommend that patients with obesity as well as healthy people eat a large breakfast rather
than a large dinner to reduce body weight and prevent metabolic diseases,” Richter said.
6. The passage most probably discusses...
A. how much calories we should eat.
B. human metabolism works depending on mealtime.
C. eating a low-calorie for breakfast can increase appetite.
D. eating more breakfast could prevent obesity.
E. how to lose weight especially for people who like sweets
7. The word vice versa is closest in meaning to...
A. constantly
B. conversely
C. steadily
D. evenly
E. oddly
8. What is the author’s attitude toward the topic of the passage?
 A. Persistent
B. Informational
C. Considerate
D. Thoughtful
E. Cautious

It has been known that restricting food intake can extend lifespan, however, researchers have
now provided new insight into why as well as how diets could benefit humans in terms of
slowing aging and the onset of age-related disease. Experts, from the Healthy Lifespan Institute
at the University of Sheffield and Brown University in the USA, tested the existing
evolutionary theory that dietary restriction, triggers a survival strategy in humans and animals.
The theory suggests that this is because humans and animals invest in maintaining and repairing
the body in times of low food availability, to await times when food availability increases again.
However, new findings have challenged this theory. Fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) fed
a restricted diet who were then returned to a rich diet were more likely to die and laid fewer
eggs compared to flies that spent their whole life on a rich diet. This demonstrates that rather
than waiting for food availability to increase in the future, the flies were essentially waiting to
die on a restricted diet.
The researchers suggest that instead of dietary restriction increasing repair and maintenance
mechanisms, it could be an escape from the damaging effects of a rich diet. This new
interpretation can help us to understand why and how diet can have such profound effects on
health. The findings also suggest that changing diet repeatedly or abruptly could be harmful to
health in certain situations.
Ph.D. student Andrew McCracken, from the University of Sheffield’s Department of Animal
and Plant Sciences, who led the study said: “Dietary restriction is an unusual paradox which
has attracted a great deal of interest within the field of aging. Our results have now pointed us
towards a more refined explanation of why it occurs, and have the potential to wholly shift the
focus of future research. “Our most surprising finding was that under certain circumstances,
restricted diets can also be the origin of particular types of damage to the individual. This
enhanced understanding of the penalties and benefits of certain types of diets will expedite the
quest to identify pharmaceutical interventions which mimic dietary restriction.”
9. The purpose of this passage is to...
A. inform the reader about the effect of diets.
B. discuss whether the diets safe for fruit flies or not.
C. give an example of a healthy diet.
D. describe how dietary restriction works.
E. prevent a misunderstanding of diet.
10. The word profound is closest in meaning to...
A. further
B. dense
C. intense
D. exceptional
 E. superficial
A large scale malaria vaccine study led by the World Health Organization (WHO) has been
criticized by a leading bioethicist for committing a “serious breach” of international ethical
standards. The cluster-randomized study in Africa is already underway in Malawi, Ghana, and
Kenya, where 720,000 children will receive the RTS, S vaccine, known as Mosquirix, over the
next two years. Mosquirix, the world’s first licensed malaria vaccine, was positively reviewed
by the European Medicines Agency, but its use is being limited to pilot implementation, in part
to evaluate outstanding safety concerns that emerged from previous clinical trials.

These were a rate of meningitis in those receiving Mosquirix 10 times than of those who did
not, increased cerebral malaria cases, and a doubling in the risk of death (from any cause) in
girls. WHO says the study is a “pilot introduction” and not a “research activity” — and that
those children living in areas randomized to receive the new vaccine will do so as part of each
country’s routine vaccination schedule and that consent is “implied.” An implied consent
process means that recipients of the vaccine are not being informed that they are in a study.
Instead, WHO says that information on vaccination is provided to the community and parents
through health talks and community outreach — among other methods — and parents who
present for vaccination with the option to vaccinate their children or not. But Charles Weijer,
a bioethicist at Western University in Canada, told BMJ that the failure in obtaining informed
consent from parents whose children are taking part in the study violates the Ottawa Statement.

He says that so-called implied consent is no substitute for informed consent. Indeed, implied
consent is no consent at all. We have no assurance that parents received information about the
study let alone that they understood it.” WHO sent BMJ some training information and said “It
has been shared with country partners.” The material lists the increased rates of meningitis and
cerebral malaria observed in trials and states that they will be monitored. But the potential for
increased risk of death among girls is not mentioned.

It is also unclear whether any ethical bodies specifically reviewed and signed off on the
“implied consent” process already underway or not. BMJ asked WHO whether the agency’s
Research Ethics Review Committee, which approved the study protocol in February 2018,
waived the requirement for individual informed consent.

11. According to the passage, what is the main concern of a leading biochemist criticizing
a large-scale malaria vaccine?
A. The use of Mosquirix is limited to pilot implementation.
B. Mosquirix is dangerous for children especially girls.
C. Both the recipient and parents are not informed about the study.
D. The recipient who receive the vaccine is randomized.
E. The patients of meningitis and cerebral malaria are decreasing.
12. The paragraph following the passage most likely discusses...
A. WHO’s response to the question the BMJ asked.
B. additional conditions on proceeding the trial.
C. the further effect of Mosquirix.
D. the major characteristics of Mosquirix.
E. Research Ethics Review Committee signed off their consent.
13. The word it in the third paragraph refers to...
 A. World Health Organization
B. information
C. BMJ
D. implied concent
E. Research Ethics Review Committee
14. With the statement “It is also unclear whether any ethical bodies specifically reviewed
and signed off on the “implied consent” process already underway or not” in the last
paragraph, the author intends to…
A. emphasize the need of reviewing and signing the implied consent.
B. explore the reasons for the Research Ethics Review Committee waived the
protocol.
C. seek for clarification from the parties involved related to the consent.
D. argue that ignoring the procedure is an inhuman thing.
E. show the evidence that they have done something destructive to society.
15. The passage can be best summarized as…
A. WHO’s malaria vaccine study represents a serious violation of international ethical
standards.
B. The recipients of the vaccine are not informed that they are the object of the study.
C. Both WHO and Research Ethics Review Committee cover up the information that
should have been delivered by the vaccine recipients.
D. The information of the study is provided by WHO through health talks with the
guardians of the vaccine recipient.
E. People around the world demand an explanation and ask WHO to cease the study.
In estuaries around the world, tiny trematode worms take over the bodies of aquatic snails.
These parasitic flatworms invade the snail’s body, use its systems to support their colony, dan
drive them around like cars. Like many other highly organized animal societies, including bees
and ants, trematode colonies form castes to split the workload. Some trematodes which are
bigger called “reproductives,” do all the reproduction for the colony, while smaller worms with
larger mouths known as “soldiers” protect against outside invasion from competing trematodes.

“People think of parasites doing the attacking, not getting attacked,” said co-author Mark
Torchin. “But these parasites have to fight for their homes within their hosts, and deal with the
risk of host invasion.” But, for any society with limited resources, this means a trade-off —
more soldiers means fewer reproductives. “Animal societies, like trematodes, have to maintain
a balance between reproduction and protection,” said first author Emlyn Resetarits. “How
many reproductive worms should exist in the colony, and how many soldiers? Are these
numbers stable, or do they change in response to environmental pressure?”

In a new study published on February 26, 2020, in Biology Letters, the research team
demonstrated for the first time that the number of soldiers in a trematode colony depends on
the local invasion threat, showing that such societies produce greater standing armies in areas
of greater threat. This has a big implication for understanding how animal societies determine
their resource allocation.
“Each trematode colony is built of clones from a single invading worm,” said Hechinger. “They
don’t want to share their snail with another trematode, so as their population takes over their
host, they start producing soldiers to fight off any potential invaders.”
16. The word castes is closest in meaning to...
A. domiciles
B. charges
C. classes
D. groups
E. stands
17. This passage mainly discusses how...
A. trematode invades the snail’s body.
B. trematode produces smaller worms.
C. trematode determine their resource.
D. trematode can adjust army size to meet threat levels.
E. trematode organizes a society
18. According to the passage, the greater the threat, the …
A. more workload they have.
B. greater the standing armies are.
C. longer the invasions will be.
D. harder the trematode protects.
E. higher the hosts are.
19. The word implication means…
A. the action or state of being involved in something.
B. a consequence, effect, or outcome of something.
C. reasonable grounds for doing, thinking, or feeling something.
D. something, especially word, figure or fact, which is not correct.
E. the action of solving problem, dispute, or contentious matter.