PRACTICE TEST 4/6

I. LISTENING (50 POINTS)

Part 1. For questions 1-9, listen to a short radio report about how technology is helping
archaeologists who want to learn more about some texts written over 2,000 years ago known as
Roman tablets, and decide whether these statements are True (T), False (F) or Not Given (NG).
Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
1. An Ancient Roman ‘tablet’ was about as thick as a present-day envelope.
2. At archaeological sites throughout Europe and the Mediterranean, approximately 200 tablets were
discovered.
3. Most museums in Northern Europe have some Ancient Roman tablets on display.
4. Every trace of writing on the ancient tablets is now legible to the naked eye with the help of novel
technology..
5. On one tablet mentioned, only the word ‘transportation’ is legible.
6. An expert in computer vision says that the project is challenging but worthy.
7. Panels on the tablets were once filled with wax, which provided the writing surface.
8. Efforts to analyse the original texts using laser photography were ultimately successful.
9. New technology is also being applied to other historical texts which were written using ink.
Your answers
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Part 2. For questions 10-15, listen to a radio discussion about writing a novel and choose the correct
answer A, B, C or D which fits best according to what you hear. Write your answers in the
corresponding numbered boxes provided.

10. What does Louise say about Ernest Hemingway's advice to writers?
A. It is useful to a certain extent.
B. It applies only to inexperienced novelists.
C. It wasn't intended to be taken seriously.
D. It might confuse some inexperienced novelists.

11. Louise says that you need to get feedback when you
A. have not been able to write anything for some time.
B. are having difficulty organizing your ideas.
C. are having contrasting feelings about what you have written.
D. have finished the book but not shown it to anyone.

12. Louise says that you should get feedback from another writer because
A. it is easy to ignore criticism from people who are not writers.
B. another writer may be kinder to you than friends and relatives.
C. it is hard to find other people who will make an effort to help you.
D. another writer will understand what your intentions are.
13. What does Louise regard as useful feedback?
A. a combination of general observations and detailed comments
B. both identification of problems and suggested solutions
C. comments focusing more on style than on content
D. as many points about strengths as weaknesses

14. What does Louise say about the people she gets feedback from?
A. Some of them are more successful than her.
B. She doesn't only discuss writing with them.
C. She also gives them feedback on their work.
D. It isn't always easy for her to get together with them.

15. One reaction to feedback that Louise mentions is that

A. it is justified but would require too much effort to act on.
B. it focuses on unimportant details rather than key issues.
C. it has been influenced by reading other people's novels.
D. it is not suggesting that major changes to the novel are required.
Your answers
10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15.

Part 3. For questions 16-25, listen to a talk about the structure of the brain and supply the blanks
with the missing information. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS taken from the recording
for each answer in the space provided.
The brain of a fully-grown human is a three-pound thick mass made up of 16.______________ .
17.______________, as well as higher functions of the body, are under the control of the cerebrum.
Thanks to the cerebellum, the 18.______________ of our body can be managed by the muscular
system.
The cerebellum is located behind the brainstem, which 19._____________ the brain to the spinal cord.
The brainstem consists of the 20.______________ the pons, and the medulla oblongata
The diencephalon comprises several structures, including the thalamus, the hypothalamus and
21.______________.
In order for human body to function properly, all four major regions of the brain have to
22.______________.
A 23.______________ called ‘the blood-brain barrier’ acts as a mechanism to block several chemicals
from entering the brain.
24.______________ and 25.____________ are the name of two brain diseases that are mentioned in
the speech.
II. LEXICO-GRAMMAR (40 POINTS)
Part 1. For questions 1-10, choose the correct answer A, B, C or D to each of the following
questions and write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
1. Jason has _____ a fantastic job with one of our top newspapers.
A. earned B. launched C. won D. landed
2. The noise from the unruly fans celebrating their team’s victory didn’t _____ until early in the
morning.
A. shut off B. give away C. let up D. fall over
3. The studio ___________ to release the film in August but they postponed it because of the political
situation.
A. was about to plan B. used to plan C. had planned D. would plan
4. The accountant _____________ the company fund and ran away to another country.
A. swallowed B. confiscated C. embezzled D. annulled
5. We will have to economize ___________ heating or we won’t be able to pay the bill.
A. about B. in C. on D. over
6. Jack has been unable to find a job _______ with his ability as an accountant.
A. commensurate B. suitable C. requisite D. appropriate
7. Materialism traps us ______ in a world of possessions hag-ridden by irrational fears of likely loss
and lurking dangers.
A. impromptu         B. off the cuff           C. on a whim             D. unawares
8. All of the organization's directors were present for the last meeting of the ____.
A. board B. faction C. cabinet D. lobby
9. Copy someone's work, online or otherwise, and your ____ can and should be exposed!
A. methodology B. plagiarism C. hypothesis D. discipline
10. I play golf ______, which makes about 25 or 26 times a year. It's hardly excessive.
A. every other Sunday B. every other Sundays
C. every two Sundays D. each two Sundays
Your answers
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Part 2. For questions 11-15, write the correct form of each bracketed word in the numbered boxes
provided.
The trend is the same across the living world: we’re witnessing a sixth mass extinction. Given that
current conservation efforts aren’t working fast enough, many feel it is time for some
11._____________(BOX) thinking. It doesn’t come much further out than giving other species their
own money, but that proposal is now on the table. The first to benefit might be our intelligent, red-
haired cousins. “12._____________(SPECIES) money” is the brainchild of British futurist Jonathan
Ledgard, who has built a reputation for throwing out imaginative, left-field solutions to the planet’s
existential threats. He started with a few key observations. First, biodiversity tends to be high where
people are poor. Second, technological advances such as drones, smartphones,
13._____________(GENE) and data storage have made it easier and cheaper to track wildlife. And
third, new software tools including 14._____________(CURRENCY), blockchain and artificial
intelligence make it possible to create digital avatars with agency – including spending power – in the
real world. If we can do that for humans, he thought, why can’t we do it for
15._____________(HUMAN), allowing them to trade with us for the things that matter to each?
Your answers
 11. 12. 13. 14. 15.

Part 3. For questions 16-20, write the correct form of each bracketed word in the numbered boxes
provided.
16. With the great achievement of U23 Vietnam team, many international newspapers wrote _______
praising our heroes. (COMIC)
17. Having made that morally terrible mistake, the kidnapper is now _______. (CONSCIENCE)
18. There has long been a feeling of ______ between the two men. (ENEMY)
19. She addressed me with a(n) _______ that surprised me - she's usually less open. (DIRECT)
20. There was a _______ silence when he mentioned his ex-wife’s name. (DIE)
Your answers
16. 17. 18. 19. 20.

Part 4. For questions 21-30, fill each of the following numbered blanks with ONE suitable word and
write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
Men and women are often considered to be completely at 21._____________. with each other, in terms
of  their attitudes and behaviours. Not so when they are in love, new research has discovered. As far as
their hormone levels are 22._____________, when men and women are in love, they are more similar
to each other than at any other time. It has long been known that love can 23._____________ havoc
with hormone levels. For example the hormone cortisol, which is known for its calming effect on the
body, dips dramatically when one person is attracted to 24._____________, putting the love-struck on
a par with sufferers of obsessive compulsive disorder. But a new study has found that the hormone
testosterone, commonly associated with male aggression, also falls when he is in love. In women, it's
quite the 25._____________. Testosterone levels, which tend to be lower among females, rise towards
26._____________of the male. Donatella Marazziti of the University of Pisa, Italy, 27._____________
this down to nature attempting to eliminate the differences between the sexes. 28._____________
doing so, they can concentrate fully 29._____________ reproduction. This suggestion seems to be
supported by the fact that 30._____________ couples in a long-term relationship, nor participants in
the study who were single at the time of the experiment, exhibited such changes.
Your answers
21. 22. 23. 24. 25.
26. 27. 28. 29. 30.

Part 5. For questions 31-40, choose the correct answer A, B, C or D to each of the following
questions and write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
THE STICKING PLASTER
Nowadays, one of the most common items found in the home is the sticking plaster.
Protecting a cut by covering the affected area with a piece of material that sticks to the skin may seem a
rather obvious idea, so it is perhaps surprising to learn that the plaster was not 31._______ until about
ninety years ago.
The person who thought 32.________ the idea was Earle Dickson, an employee of the Johnson and
Johnson company. Concerned that his wife Josephine sometimes had accidents while cooking and
doing 33.________ jobs, he used pieces of cotton materials placed inside strips of sticky tape to cover
her injuries. This prevented dirt from getting into the 34._______and protected it from further harm as
she did the housework.
Dickson’s boss was impressed, so in 1921, Johnson and Johnson put the new sticking plaster into
35.________ under the brand name Band-Aid. Sales at first were slow, but somebody at the company
came up with the 36._______ idea of giving free plasters to the Boy Scouts. This created publicity and
from then on it became a 37.________ success. Dickson was 38._______ within the company,
eventually becoming a senior executive.
Although the basic design of the sticking plaster has remained similar to the 39._______, there have
been many developments in the materials used and it is now 40._______ in a variety of shapes, sizes
and colors. Total worldwide sales are believed to have exceeded 10 billion.
31. A. realised B. imagined C. dreamt D. invented
32. A. forward B. in C. over D. up
33. A. others B. other C. another D. the others
34. A. wound B. breakage C. damage D. tear
35. A. construction B. creation C. production D. formation
36. A. shining B. bright C. eager D. keen
37. A. monetary B. economical C. commercial D. financial
38. A. promoted B. raised C. lifted D. advanced
39. A. original B. model C. sample D. standard
40. A. accessible B. available C. attainable D. achievable
Your answers
31. 32. 33. 34. 35.
36. 37. 38. 39. 40.

III. READING (40 POINTS)

Part 1. For questions 1-13, read the following passage and do the tasks that follow.
Some Facts and Theories about Flu
The flu, more properly known as influenza, takes its name from the fact that it is so easily transmitted
from person to person (influenza is the Italian word for ’influence’). Usually, contamination occurs
through direct contact with secretions from an infected person. Its spread is also possible from
contaminated airborne particles, such as those that occur when someone coughs or sneezes. However, it
should be made clear that the risk is not great from simply being in the same room as an infected
person, since the flu virus, unlike other respiratory viruses, does not dissolve in the air. Within 4-6
hours of someone catching the flu, the virus multiplies in infected cells and the cells burst, spreading
the virus to other cells nearby.
The spread continues for up to 72 hours, the exact length of time depending on the body’s immune
system response and the strength of the particular strain of flu. The range of human responses to the flu
virus has been of interest to scientists for many years. This is because the effect can vary from no
infection to a rapid and deadly spread of the virus to many people. One area of study that has received
particular attention is the immune system response of the individual. Where a person’s immune system
is healthy, the virus is attacked as it enters the body, usually in the respiratory tract. This lessens the
severity of the illness. In contrast, people with compromised immune systems (typical in the young,
where it is not fully developed, or in the old and the sick, where it is not working efficiently), often
suffer the worst effects.
One of the body’s responses to flu is the creation of antibodies which recognise and destroy that
particular strain of flu virus. What fascinates most researchers in the field is that the human body seems
capable of storing these antibodies over a whole lifetime in case of future attack from the same or
similar strains of flu. It was while researching these antibodies that scientists turned their attention back
to what was possibly the worst ever flu pandemic in the world. The actual number of deaths is disputed,
but the outbreak in 1918 killed between 20 and 50 million people. It is also estimated that one fifth of
the population of the world may have been infected.
Through tests done on some of the survivors of the 1918 outbreak, it was discovered that, 90 years
later, they still possessed the antibodies to that strain of flu, and some of them were actually still
producing the antibodies. Work is now focused on why these people survived in the first place, with
one theory being that they had actually been exposed to an earlier, similar strain, therefore developing
immunity to the 1918 strain. It is hoped that, in the near future, we might be able to isolate the
antibodies and use them to vaccinate people against further outbreaks.
Yet vaccination against the flu is an imprecise measure. At best, the vaccine protects us from the
variations of flu that doctors expect that year. If their predictions are wrong in any particular year,
being vaccinated will not prevent us from becoming infected. This is further complicated by the fact
that there are two main types of flu, known as influenza A and influenza B. Influenza B causes less
concern as its effects are usually less serious. Influenza A, however, has the power to change its genetic
make-up. Although these genetic changes are rare, they create entirely new strains of flu against which
we have no protection. It has been suggested that this is what had happened immediately prior to the
1918 outbreak, with research indicating that a genetic shift had taken place in China.
In 2005, another genetic shift in an influenza A virus was recorded, giving rise to the H5N1 strain,
otherwise known as avian flu, or bird flu. Typical of such new strains, we have no way of fighting it
and many people who are infected with it die. Perhaps more worrying is that it is a strain only
previously found in birds but which changed its genetic make-up in a way that allowed it to be
transmitted to humans. Most of the fear surrounding this virus is that it will change again, developing
the ability to pass from human to human. If that change does happen, scientists and doctors can
reasonably expect a death rate comparable to that which occurred in 1918 and, given that we can now
travel more quickly and more easily between countries, infecting many more people than was
previously possible, it could be several times worse.
Questions 1-7
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 2?
TRUE                                  if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE                                 if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN                       if there is no information on this
1. The only way to catch flu is if someone coughs or sneezes near you.
2. You become aware of the symptoms of flu within 4-6 hours of infection.
3. The effect of a flu infection can depend on how strong the strain is.
4. Those who are more likely to suffer badly with the flu include very young or very old people
5. Although antibodies last a lifetime, scientists have found they get weaker with age.
6. Vaccination is largely ineffective against flu.
7. Another change in the genetic make-up of the H5N1 strain could kill more people than the 1918
epidemic.
Questions 8-11
Classify the following statements as characterising
A something known by scientists to be true 
B  something believed by scientists to be true 
C  something known by scientists to be false.
Write the correct letter,  A, B or C.
8.  Sharing a room with a flu sufferer presents a very high risk to your health.
9. One fifth of the people in the world caught the flu in 1918.
10. Influenza A viruses change their genetic make-up frequently.
11. The H5N1 strain evolved in or before 2005.
Questions 12-13
Answer the questions below. Write  NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
12.   In which part of the body do antibodies normally attack the flu virus?
13.   What kind of transmission of the H5N1 strain are people afraid might become reality?
Your answers
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13.

Part 2. You are going to read an article about a newspaper article in which a former ballet dancer
talks about the physical demands of the job. Seven sentences have been removed from the article.
For questions 14-20, choose from the sentences A-H the one which fits each gap. There is one extra
sentence which you do not need to use. Write your answers (A-H) in the corresponding numbered
boxes provided.
Career success in the arts
John Prince, famous dancer and choreographer, gives advice on how to succeed in a career in the arts. I
asked John how he got started and what requirements there are. "Well, to be a professional dancer it's
useful to have had acting lessons or some background in drama.
14) ____________________
When you approach an agent you should take a portfolio with your CV, your statistics sheet and some
good photos and reviews of past performances. You'll need dance clothes, ballet shoes, tap shoes, and
even roller skates depending on what kind of show you are going to go for."
15) ____________________
"Of course, you need to be extremely fit if you want to be a professional dancer. I dance or move about
for about six hours a day. There are great health benefits to being a dancer. I can eat a lot of pasta
without gaining weight because dancing increases your metabolism so much."
16) ____________________
John has a very busy schedule in the next few months. He took time out to speak to me today from the
making of a pop video to promote N-ergy's latest record. "I choreographed the dance routine for the
boys and they only had 2 days in which to learn it! I am going to be working on a video for another
well known band - but that's top secret. Next month I'll be touring Spain in a production of a musical
that was written by a friend of mine, Michaela Evans.
17) ____________________
As for the future, I've come to realise that I would never be content to be just a chorus dancer - I'm too
much of an individual for that. Like all artists I'd love to become a household name by writing and
choreographing my own musicals." John was born in Jamaica to a Jamaican father and a Scottish
mother but the family emigrated to England 20 years ago. "I have a little sister I adore, who is also
training to be a dancer." How does it feel to have someone else following in your footsteps?
18) ____________________
Has he much more to learn, I wondered. "I've spent an incredible amount of my life training to get
where I am. I went to college for two years in England, I trained for six months in Paris and about eight
months in America. But you never really stop training or learning your art."
19) ____________________
So, would you say it's been plain sailing? "I feel I've been lucky to a degree; many people hit problems
breaking into the arts. It can be a vicious circle really. You can't become a member of Equity, which is
the actors' and dancers' union, without good contracts. And you can't get good contracts without being a
member of Equity. My advice to people who want to get into the arts would be to go out into the world,
and try everything else first.
20) ____________________
What has a dance career done for you as a person? "Thanks to dancing, I've visited and performed in 23
countries so far. This has opened my eyes to the world, and I've been able to understand issues like
racism and inequality from a wider perspective. Hopefully this has enabled me to become a better and
more tolerant person as a result. "So all in all I'm really happy to be a dancer!"
A. It's fine, but I try not to give out too much advice as it gets irritating!
B. And if nothing you like comes out of it, then come back and be an actor or dancer.
C. Without a strict daily timetable like this you find yourself wasting too much time.
D. After that it's back to England to start a new term of dance classes.
E. When it comes to coping with stress, I find that exercise helps me to cope with my
problems, so I stay in good shape mentally as well.
F. Like any profession where you're always travelling, you tend to acquire something new
almost every day.
G. Being fully equipped with all this stuff beforehand makes it easier when you go for
auditions.
H If you want to succeed in musical theatre you have to have a good singing voice as well.

Your answers
14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20.

Part 3. For questions 21-30, read the following passage and choose the answer A, B, C or D that fits
best according to the text. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
1) There has, in recent years, been an outpouring of information about the impact of buildings on the
natural environment; Information which explains and promotes green and sustainable construction
design, strives to convince others of its efficacy and warns of the dangers of ignoring the issue. Seldom
do these documents offer any advice to practitioners, such as those designing mechanical and electrical
systems for a building, on how to utilise this knowledge on a practical level. 
2) While the terms green and sustainable are often considered synonymous, in that they both symbolise
nature, green does not encompass all that is meant by sustainability, which can be defined as
minimizing the negative impacts of human activities on the natural environment, in particular those
which have long-term and irreversible effects. Some elements of green design may be sustainable too,
for example those which reduce energy usage and pollution, while others, such as ensuring internal air
quality, may be considered green despite having no influence on the ecological balance.  
3) Although there are a good many advocates of ‘green’ construction in the architectural industry, able
to cite ample reasons why buildings should be designed in a sustainable way, not to mention a plethora
of architectural firms with experience in green design, this is not enough to make green construction
come into being.  The driving force behind whether a building is constructed with minimal
environmental impact lies with the owner of the building; that is, the person financing the project. If the
owner considers green design unimportant, or of secondary importance, then more than likely, it will
not be factored into the design.
4) The commissioning process plays a key role in ensuring the owner gets the building he wants, in
terms of design, costs and risk. At the predesign stage, the owner’s objectives, criteria and the type of
design envisaged are discussed and documented. This gives a design team a solid foundation on which
they can build their ideas, and also provides a specific benchmark against which individual elements,
such as costs, design and environmental impact can be judged.
5) Owners who skip the commissioning process, or fail to take ‘green’ issues into account when doing
so, often come a cropper once their building is up and running. Materials and equipment are installed
as planned, and, at first glance, appear to fulfil their purpose adequately.  However, in time, the owner
realises that operational and maintenance costs are higher than necessary, and that the occupants are
dissatisfied with the results. These factors in turn lead to higher ownership costs as well as increased
environmental impact.
6) In some cases, an owner may be aware of the latest trends in sustainable building design. He may
have done research into it himself, or he may have been informed of the merits of green design through
early discussion with professionals. However, firms should not take it as read that someone
commissioning a building already has a preconceived idea of how green he intends the structure to be.
Indeed, this initial interaction between owner and firm is the ideal time for a designer to outline and
promote the ways that green design can meet the client’s objectives, thus turning a project originally
not destined for green design into a potential candidate.
7) Typically, when considering whether or not to adopt a green approach, an owner will ask about
additional costs, return for investment and to what extent green design should be the limiting factor
governing decisions in the design process. (1) Many of these costs are incurred by the increased
cooperation between the various stakeholders, such as the owner, the design professionals, contractors
and end-users. (2) However, in green design, they must be involved from the outset, since green design
demands interaction between these disciplines. (3) This increased coordination clearly requires
additional expenditure. (4) A client may initially balk at these added fees, and may require further
convincing of the benefits if he is to proceed. It is up to the project team to gauge the extent to which a
client wants to get involved in a green design project and provide a commensurate service.
8) Of course, there may be financial advantage for the client in choosing a greener design. Case studies
cite examples of green / sustainable designs which have demonstrated lower costs for long-term
operation, ownership and even construction. Tax credits and rebates are usually available on a regional
basis for projects with sustainable design or low emissions, among others.

21.  The writer’s main purpose is to…

A. explain to professionals how they can influence clients to choose greener designs.
B. explain the importance of green building design in reducing long-term damage to the environment.
C. explain to owners commissioning a building why ignoring green issues is costly and dangerous.
D. explain to professionals why it is important to follow the correct procedures when a building is
commissioned.

22 What does the word ‘others’ refer to in paragraph 2?

A. other elements of green design
B. other types of pollution
C. other influence on the ecological balance
D. other irreversible effects

23.  The examples of green and sustainable designs given in paragraph 2 show that
A. designs must be sustainable in order for them to be described as green.
B. for the purposes of this paper, the terms green and sustainable have the same meaning.
C. some sustainable designs are green, while others are not.
D. some designs are termed green, even though they are not sustainable.

24  According to paragraph 3, the reason for the lack of green buildings being designed is that…
A. few firms have any experience in design and constructing buildings to a green design.
B. construction companies are unaware of the benefits of green and sustainable designs.
C. firms do not get to decide whether a building is to be constructed sustainably.
D. firms tend to convince clients that other factors are more important than sustainability.

25  Which of the following is NOT true about the commissioning process?

A. It is conducted before the building is designed.
B. It is a stage that all clients go through when constructing a building.
C. It is a step in the design procedure in which the client’s goals are identified.
D. It provides the firm with a measure of how well they did their job.

26  In paragraph 5, what does the phrase ‘come a cropper’ mean?

A. experience misfortune
B. change one’s mind
C. notice the benefits
D. make a selection

27  In paragraph 6, the writer implies that…

A. most clients enter the commissioning process with a clear idea of whether or not they want a green
building.
B. designers are usually less concerned about green design than the clients are.
C. the commissioning process offers a perfect opportunity to bring up the subject of green design.
D. firms should avoid working with clients who reject green designs in their buildings.

28  Where in paragraph 7 does this sentence belong?

In a typical project, landscape architects and mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineers do not
become involved until a much later stage.
A. 1
B. 2
C. 3
D. 4

29  In paragraph 7, what does ‘balk at’ mean?

A. display shock towards
B. agree to pay
C. question the reason for
D. understand the need for

30  Green buildings are most likely to incur more expense than conventional buildings due to…
A. higher taxes incurred on sustainable buildings.
B. higher long-term operational costs.
C. the higher cost of green construction materials.
D. increased coordination between construction teams
Your answers:
21. 22. 23 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30.

Part 4. The passage below consists of five sections marked A-E. For questions 31-40, read the
passage and do the task that follows. Write your answers (A-E) in the corresponding numbered
boxes provided.
Vacuum Trains: Space-Age Travel on Earth
Vacuum trains work on a very simple principle of physics, namely, it's easier to move an object
through a vacuum than it is through a medium, such as air. Are vacuum trains the future of travel?
A When compared to the many other scientific and technological advances of the late 20th and early
21st centuries, it could be said that little progress has been made in the field of mass transit systems.
But for Concorde, the turbo-jet powered airplane which retired due to budgetary concerns in 2003, and
the bullet trains of Japan, little has changed in the way that groups of people travel to far-off
destinations. By and large, we still use the same transport technologies and travel at the same speeds to
those of fifty years ago. In times of scientific and technological sluggishness, it's often best to permit
'blue-sky' thinkers to take the stage. One such individual whose creative thinking was not limited by
current wisdom or beliefs was the American physicist Robert H. Goddard (1882-1945). Known as the
father of modern rocket propulsion, Goddard was often mocked during his lifetime for the seemingly
pie-in-the-sky nature of his proposals. The ridicule caused Goddard to become increasingly reticent
about the nature of his work over the course of his career; so much so that many of his designs did not
come to light until after his death. Among Goddard's revolutionary ideas was one for a high-speed train
known as vacuum tube train, or `vactrain' for short.
B The central rationale behind a vactrain as conceived by Goddard in the 1910s, is that trains could
travel considerably faster and use up appreciably less energy if they were not held back by air
resistance. A conventional train pushes a wall of air ahead of it and in doing so causes an area of low
pressure to form behind it. Both these phenomena end up `pulling' the train back and necessitate huge
amounts of energy to be expended in order to counteract the forces. But by placing a train line within a
sealed tunnel and voiding the tunnel of all air (i.e. creating a vacuum), this rolling resistance is
nullified. The sealed tunnel can be placed above ground or even in underground bored rock, the latter
hypothetically enabling cross-oceanic travel at speeds once thought the sole domain of science fiction.
Such technology has the potential to unequivocally supplant the aircraft as the world's fastest mode of
mass transit. Goddard's early designs, for instance, proposed the possibility of travelling from Boston to
New York in just 12 minutes at speeds averaging around 1,000 mph (1,600 km/h). In actual fact, by
combining vactrain technology with another form of technology known as maglev, such trains could
travel a great deal faster.
C Maglev (short for magnetic levitation) trains are trains that float on a bed of magnets thus negating
the recurrent friction that conventional trains experience from running on tracks using mechanical
apparatuses such as wheels, axles and bearings. By causing the train to, in effect, fly along its route,
albeit just inches from the surface of a magnetic line, maglev trains can travel at speeds of up to 361
mph (581 km/h). Maglev trains are currently operational (albeit in small numbers) in Japan, Korea and
China. Although still a nascent venture, they have not as yet proved to merit any undue concerns in
terms of safety. But what if a maglev train was placed within a vacuum? Some believe such trains
could reach speeds of more than 4,000 km/h, allowing passengers to travel from Europe to North
America in under an hour.
D Certainly, much interest has been shown by scientists and innovators eager to cash in on the 'next
big thing'. Indeed, several patents have already been taken out proposing various uses for the merger of
vactrain and maglev technologies. One scientist in the front line of such research is American engineer,
Daryl Oster, who holds a patent for what he calls 'Evacuated Tube Transport' (ETT). Oster's proposes
using relatively small six-person automated capsules that could travel up to 4,000 km/h on maglev lines
within vacuumed tunnels. His research has piqued the interest of the Chinese government who acquired
a license to use ETT technology in combination with their own pre-existent maglev research.
According to Oster, the world could be using ETT for world travel within the next 10 years.
E So, is ETT really a feasible transportation technology for the future? Some put paid to the idea
because of its prohibitive cost. For instance, a hypothetical underground ETT line from Los Angeles to
New York City would cost an estimated US$1 trillion, with an elevated surface level alternative only
lessening the brunt of the cost by a third. Hence, the apathetic response most governments, bar the
Chinese government perhaps, give to ETT proposals. But some futurologists point to the mother of all
invention: necessity. The carbon footprint of current mass transit systems is considerable and must be
reduced. Fossil fuels deposits are dwindling and energy-efficient alternatives will soon be required.
Vactrains run entirely on electricity so there would be no carbon footprint whatsoever. Thus, while
construction would be expensive, supporters of ETT technology emphasise the long-term cost-
effectiveness of the venture - in terms of the environment, energy usage, and the economic advantages
attainable by a world having a speedier mass transit infrastructure. Still, it remains to be seen who, if
anyone, will take the plunge. ETT technology could well remain just a pipe dream.
In which section is the following mentioned?
31. an instance in which an individual felt averse to divulge certain information
32. the potential of a means of transport to carry cargo at high speeds
33. the necessity to overhaul contemporary transit systems
34. an instance in which an individual underestimated the potential of a technology
35. a means of transport which has recently been put to public use
36. a collaborative effort at developing rapid transit technology
37. the view that contemporary transports systems are underdeveloped
38. uncertainty as to whether funds will be available to finance a project
39. the potential of a technology to surpass conventional expectations
40. the extent to which a proposed transit system could reduce ecological damage
Your answers:
31. 32. 33 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40.

IV. WRITING

International tourism has become a huge industry in the world. Do the problems of international
travel outweigh its advantages? Write at least 300 words.

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