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HANOI OPEN UNIVERSITY TEST ON READING SKILLS

FOR MAJOR STUDENTS OF ENGLISH
Time allowance: 60 minutes-Test number 1

READING PASSAGE 1
Question 1-14
When john Muir, at twenty-nine, left his, job as a machinist, he acted with his typical inde-
pendence by walking to Florida; a distance of about a thousand miles. He chose the wildest ways, as
he felt the need to give himself to the natural world. He felt that life was too precious to be devoted
to machines. As he later put it, he could have become a millionaire but he chose to become a
tramp. And, as it turned cut, a millionaire’ life could not have produced the effect thai john Muir’s
life has had on the American landscape.
After his walk to Florida, Muir eventually found himself in California where he became
entranced by Yosemite Valiey. There he began his career as a nature essayist and conservationist.
He also explored the mountains extensively and traveled to other wild areas,including Alaska, His
life fell into a single-developing pattern of devotion to all things natural.
Besides independence, endurance and joy were a large part of Muir’s character. He would set off
for a mountain trek with very few belongings and only a little food. These would last him for weeks
of climbing and exploring. Wherever he looked, he saw beauty and he felt joy. He felt as if the
beauty was evidence of a divine presence, and eventually, in his own mind, the line between the
divine and nature became blurred. Muir was one of the first voices in favor of the wild in a time
better known for the destruction and exploitation of nature. He was born 150 years ago, but groves
of sequola redwood trees still grow because of his love and work.

1. John Muir walked to Florida because

(A) Florida was wild
(B) Florida was far away
(C) he was poor
(D) he was independent

2. What does the word “precious” mean?

(A) valuable
(B) brief
(C) beautiful
(D) interesting

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It’s not allowed to write here.

________________________________________________________________________________

3. The word “put” could best be replaced by (C) love

which of the following? (D) calmness
(A) placed 10. Which o f t h e f o l l o w i n g words is
(B) expressed most similar to the word “trek’?
(C) held A) peak
(D) remembered B) trail
4. Which of the following is closest to the C) journey
meaning of the word “tramp”? D) forest
(A) an independent hiker 11. According to the passage, which of the
(B) a devoted priest following would best describe Muir?
(C) a wandering beggar (A) He didn’t separate God and nature.
(D) a poor author (B) He became a tramp because he didn’t like
5. From the passage we can infer that John Muir was people.
(A) lonely (C) He loved painting landscapes to shoe the
(B) rich beauty of nature.
(C) friendly (D) He enjoyed seeing how far he could walk
(D) dedicated in the wild.
6. The word “entranced” is most similar to 12. According to this passage, John Muir lived.
which of the following? (A) in Florida
(A) expelled (B) alone
(B) enriched (C) with people concerned about the
(C) empowered environment.
(D) fascinated (D) In a time when people didn’t care about
7. The word “extensively “ is closest in meaning conservation.
to which of the following? 13. When Muir felt joy about nature what would
(A) thoroughly he has been most likely to do?
(B) briefly (A) write
(C) religiously (B) talk
(D) individually (C) sing
8. John Muir devoted his life to (D) hike
(A) natural things 14. The word "eventually” is close in meaning to
(B) wild things which of the following?
(C) climbing trees (A) Soon
(D) prayer (B) Finally
9. Which of the following words could best (C) Usually
replace word “endurance” ? (D) probably
(A) divinity
(B) strength
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READING PASSAGE 2 Questions 15-27
Read the passage below and answer Questions 15-27
A
The glow-worm belongs to a family of beetles known as the Lampyridae or fireflies. The fireflies
are a huge group containing over 2000 species, with new ones being discovered all the time. The
feature which makes fireflies and glow-worms so appealing is their ability to produce an often
dazzling display of light. The light is used by the adult fireflies as a signal to attract a mate, and each
species must develop its own 'call- sign' to avoid being confused with other species glowing nearby.
So within any one area each species will differ from its neighbours in some way, for example in the
colour or pattern of its light, how long the pulses of light last, the interval between pulses and
whether it displays in flight or from the ground.
B
The fireflies' almost magical light has attracted human attention for generations. It is described in
an ancient chinese encyclopaedia written over 2000 years ago by a pupil of Confucius. Fireflies
often featured in Japanese and Arabian folk medicine. All over the world they have been the
inspiration for countless poems, paintings and stories. In Britain, for example, there are plenty of
anecdotes describing how glow-worms have been used to read by or used as emergency bicycle
lamps when a cyclist’s batteries have failed without warning. Early travellers in the New World
came back with similar stories, of how the native people of Central America would collect a type of
click beetle and release them indoors to light up their huts. Girls threaded them around their feet to
illuminate the forest paths at night.
Fireflies very similar to those we see today have been found fossilised in rocks which were
formed about 30 million years ago, and their ancestors were probably glowing long before then. It is
impossible to be sure exactly when and where the first firefly appeared. The highest concentrations
of firefly species today are to be found in the tropics of South America, which may mean either that
this is where they first evolved, or simply that they prefer the conditions there.
Wherever they first arose, fireflies have since spread to almost every part of the globe. Today
members of the firefly family can be found almost anywhere outside the Arctic and Antarctic circles.
C
As with many insects, the glow-worm's life is divided into four distinct stages: the egg, the larva
(equivalent to the Caterpillar of a butterfly), the pupa (or chrysalis) and the adult. The glow-worm
begins its life in the autumn as a pale yellow egg. The freshly laid egg is extremely fragile but
within a day its surface has hardened into a shell. The egg usually takes about 35 days to hatch, but
the exact time varies according to the temperature, from about 27 days in hot weather to more than
45 days in cold weather. By the time it is due to hatch, the glow-worm's light organ is fully
developed, and its glow signals that the egg will soon hatch.
After it has left the egg, the larva slowly grows from a few millimetres into the size and shape of
a matchstick. The larval stage is the only time the insect can feed. The larva devotes much of its life
to feeding and building up its food reserves so that as an adult it will be free to concentrate all its
efforts on the task of finding a mate and reproducing. Throughout its time as a larva, approximately
15 months, the glow-worm emits a bright light. The larva's light is much fainter than the adult

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female's but it can still be seen more than five metres away.
In the final stage of a glow-worm’s life, the larva encases itself in a pupal skin while it changes
from the simple ỉarva to the more complex adult f!y. when the adult fly emerges from the pupa the
male seeks a female with whom it can mate. After mating, the female lays about 120 eggs. The adult
flies have no mouth parts, cannot eat and therefore only live a few days. when people talk of seeing
a glow-worm they normally mean the brightly glowing adult female.
D
In some countries the numbers of glow-worms have been falling. Evidence suggests that there
has been a steady decrease in the British glow-worm population since the 1950s and possibly before
that. Possible causes for the decline include habitat destruction, pollution and changes in climate.
Thousands of acres of grassland have been built upon and glow-worm sites have become
increasingly isolated from each other. The widespread use of pesticides and fertilisers may also have
endangered the glow-worm. Being at the top of a food chain it is likely to absorb any pollutants
eaten by the snails on which it feeds. The effect of global warming on rainfall and other vveather
pattems may also be playing a part in the disappearance of glow-worms. A lot more research will be
needed, however, beíore the causes of the glow-worm's gradual decline are clear.
E
Although glow-worms are found wherever conditions are damp, food is in good supply and there
is an over-hanging wall, they are most spectacular in caves. For more than 100 years the glow-worm
caves in New Zealand have attracted millions of people from all over the world. The caves were first
exploredin 1887 by a local Maori chief, Tane Tinorau, and an English surveyor, Fred Mace. They
built a raft and, with candles as their only light, they floated into the cave where the stream goes
underground. As their eyes adjusted to the darkness they saw myriad lights reílecting off the water.
Looking up they discovered that the ceiling was dotted with the lights of thousands of glow-worms.
They returned many times to explore further, and on an independent trip Tane discovered the upper
level of the cave and an easier access. The authorities were advised and government surveyors
mapped the caves. By 1888 Tane Tinorau had opened the cave to tourists.

The passage on the previous pages has five sections labelled A-E.
Which section mentions the following?

Write the correct letter A-E in boxes 15-20 on your ansner sheet.
NB You may use any letter more than once.
15 threats to the glow-worm
16 ways in which glow-worms have been used
17 vanations in type of glow-worm
18 glow-worm distribution
19 glow-worms becoming an attraction
20 the life-cycle of a glow-worm

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Questions 21-27

In boxes on your answer sheet, write

TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contrađicts the information
NOT G1VEN if there is no information on this

21 Scientists have only recently been able to list the exact number of glow-worm species.
22 The first fireflies appeared 30 million years ago.
23 Glow-worm populations are decreasing faster in some countries than in others.
24 Heat affects the production of glow-worm larvae.
25 Adulthood is the longest stage of a glow-worm’s life.
26 The exact reason why glow-worm numbers are decreasing is unknovm.
27 Glow-worms are usually found in wet areas.

READING PASSAGE 3
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 28-40 which are based on Reading Passage 3
below.

Green Wave Washes Over Mainstream Shopping

Research in Britain has shown that ‘green consumers’ continue to flourish as a significant group
amongst shoppers. This suggests that politicians who claim environmentalism is yesterday’s issue
may be seriously misjudging the public mood.
A report from Mintel, the market research organisation, says that despite recession and financial
pressures, more people than ever want to buy environmentally friendly Products and a 'green wave'
has swept through consumerism, taking in people previously untouched by environmental concerns.
The recently published report also predicts that the process will repeat itselfwith ‘ethical’ concerns,
involving issues such as fair trade with the Third World and the social record of businesses.
Companies will have to be more honest and open in response to this mood.
Mintel’s survey, based on nearly 1,000 consumers, found that the proportion who look for green
Products and are prepared to pay more for them has dimbed from 53 per cent in 1990 to around 60
per cent in 1994. On average, they will pay 13 per cent more for such Products, although this
percentage is higher among women, managerial and professional groups and those aged 35 to 44.
Between 1990 and 1994 the proportion of consumers claiming to be unaware of or unconcerned
about green issues fell from 18 to 10 per cent but the number of green spenders among older people
and manual workers has risen substantially. Regions such as Scotland have also caught up with the
South of England in their environmental concerns. According to Mintel, the image of green
conSumerism as associated in the past with the more eccentric members of society has virtually
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disappeared. The consumer research manager for Mintel, Angela Hughes, said it had become firmly
established as a mainstream market. She explained that as far as the average person is concerned
environmentalism has not ‘gone off the boil’. In fact, ỉt has spread across a much wider range of
consumer groups, ages and occupations.
Mintel’s 1994 survey found that 13 percent of consumers are ‘very dark green’, nearly always
buying environmentally friendly Products, 28 percent are ‘dark green’, trying ‘as far as possible’ to
buy such Products, and 21 per cent are ‘pale green’ - tending to buy green Products if they see them.
Another 26 percent are ‘armchair greens’; they said they care about environmental issues but their
concem does not affect their spending habits. Only 10 percent say they do not care about green
issues.
Four in ten people are ‘ethical spenders’, buying goods which do not, for example, involve
dealings with oppresslve regimes. This Rgure is the same as in 1990, although the number of
‘armchair ethicals’ has risen from 28 to 35 percent and only 22 percent say they are unconcerned
now, against 30 percent in 1990. Hughes daims that in the twenty-first century, consumers will be
encouraged to think more about the entire history of the Products and services they buy, including
the policies of the companies that provide them and that this will require a greater degree of honesty
with consumers.
Among green consumers, animal testing is the top issue - 48 percent said they would be deterred
from buying a product it if had been tested on animals - followed by concems regarding
irresponsible selling, the ozone layer, river and sea pollution, forest destruction, recyding and
factory farming. However, concern for specific issues is lower than in 1990, suggesting that many
consumers feel that Government and business have taken on the environmental agenda.

Questions 28-33
Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer of Reading Passage 3? In boxes
28-33 on your answer sheet write

YES if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer

NO if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

28 The research findings report commercial rather than political trends.

29 Being financially better off has made shoppers more sensitive to buying ‘green’.
30 The majority of shoppers are prepared to pay more for the benefit of the environment
according to the research findings.
31 Consumers’ green shopping habits are influenced by Mintel’s findings.
32 Mintel have limited their investigation to professional and managerial groups.
33 Mintel undertakes market surveys on an annual basis.

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Questions 34-36
Choose the appropriate letters A-D and write them in boxes 34-36 on your answer sheet.
34 Politicians may have ‘misjudged the public mood’ because ...
A they are pre-occupied with the recession and financial problems.
B there is more widespread interest in the environment agenda than they anticipated.
C consumer spending has increased significantly as a result of ‘green’ pressure.
D shoppers are displeased with govemment policies on a range of issues.
35 What is Mintel?
A an environmentalist group
B a business survey organisation
C an academic research team
D a political organisation
36 A consumer expressing concern for environmental issues without actively supporting such
principles is ...
A an ‘ethical spender’.
B a ‘very dark green’ spender.
C an ‘armchair green’.
D a ‘pale green’ spender.

Questions 37-40

Complete the summary using words from the box below.

Write your answers in boxes 37-40 on your ansvver sheet.

NB There are more answers than spaces, so you will not use them all.

The Mintel report suggests that in future companies will be forced to practise greater...
(37) ...in their dealings because of the increased awareness amongst... (38)... of ethical
issues. This prediction is supported by the growth in the number of ... (39)... identified
in the most recent survey published. As a consequence, it is felt that companies will
have to think more carefully about their ... (40)....

environmental research armchair ethicals

honesty and openness Environmentalists
ethical spenders Consumers
Politicians political beliefs
social awareness financial constraints
social record

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