PRACTICE 3

A. Listening Practice
WORDS
below. Write NO MORE THAN THREE
Questions 31-35. Complete the sentences

for each answer.

MAD COW DISEASE

of the affected cows brains.

Mad cow disease attacks the 31.
known as prions.
BSE is thought to be caused by infectious forms of 32.
BSE infected cattle are found in the small intestines, 33
Abnormal prions in
and the central nervous tissues.
take in the abnormal prionswhen they eat infected beef as the prions are
lumans can

34. such as heat.

resistant to the usual before
American of CJD was a woman who caught it in 35.
The one case

going to the US.

lecture
below of the second half of the humanities
on
Questions 36-40. Complete the summary
for each answer.
BSE. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS
SUMMARY

movement due to brain damage

from abnormal
CJD causes gradual loss of mental function and
CJD usually affects younger people (between
prions or it can be possibly 36. _-Symptoms include
in patients' 37..
ages 20 to 70) usually showing symptoms Once symptoms appear, the disorder
with 38.
personality changes and problems
and death.
progresses quickly to disability
the first UK cases have indicated that it could come
The exact causes of 8SE are unknown but with
from a prion disease in 39. called scrapie that was fed to cattle. Dead cattle
infected
scrapie were then fed to 40.
making them cannibals. So, we are in turn
created when we eat infected beef.
by disease
the that we

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 B. Reading Practice

THE BLACK DEATH

One of the most devastating periods in European history came during

the fourteenth century, with
the epidemic of bubonic plague. also known as the "Great Plague"
and later dubbed the "Black
Death." At the time of its first pandemic, the bubonic plague was a terrifying disease, killing

indiscriminately and leaving cities and towns devastated in its wake. It appeared to spread just by
the next. Faced with such
touching clothes, and people who seemed healthy one day might be dead
for their sins.
a mysterious and horrifying illness, many believed that this was a divine punishment

in 1855
The true cause of the plague wasn't discovered until its most recent outbreak. which began
in China and didn't officially end until 1959. Researchers in Hong Kong at the end of the 19th
the bacteria Yersinia pestis. Several years later.
century discovered that the disease is caused by
Chinese doctors noticed that rats showed similar plague symptoms to humans, and that the victims

often had fleabites. This was the key to unraveling the mystery of the plague, which is transmitted
by rat fleas. Modern sanitary practices and medicine have greatly subdued the impact of the
bubonic plague but have never completely eliminated it. Today., there are still incidences of it in
sub-Saharan Africa. and there have been confirmed cases in the United States, Vietnam, Mongolia,
China. and India as well.
The Black Death first came to Europe by way of Asia, when the Genoese trading port of Kaffa
was laid siege to by Kipchak khan Janibeg's army in the fall of 1346. The plague destroyed the
army and also spread to the besieged town. and when in the spring the Genoese took to their ships
and fled. they carried the disease with them to Constantinople. From there, it spread far and wide
into Europe and northern Africa. hiting hub cities such as Marseilles, Alexandria, Florence.
Venice. and Paris.
In order to escape its horrors people fled from plague-stricken areas, bringing the disease with
them to the countryside or other cities via fleas that were on their clothes or belongings. They
would then infect the new city's house rat population and kill it off. After the rodents had been
killed off, the fleas would turn to humans as a source of blood, transmitting the disease in turn to
them. Once bitten by a plague-carrying flea, the disease typically takes three to five days to
incubate before a person shows symptoms, and then another three to five days before it kills the
person

More so than by individual humans. the plague was transferred from place to place by boat, which
travelled much faster and farther than people on foot or horseback. Rats and fleas on board the
vessel would infect the local populations wherever they docked. As the disease spread, its effects
were felt not only by its victims and their families, but by the population at large. Because of the
elevated number of deaths, there were great shortages of labor, especially in agriculture, causing
food shortages across Europe.
There are conflicting conjectures about the number of people killed by the Black Death, varying
from 30 percent of Europe's population at the most conservative, to up to 60 percent. Since the
population is estimated to have been approximately 80 million before the epidemic started, this
means that somewhere between 25 and 53 million people died from the plague. ln many cases
whole families and communities were wiped out. The population did not recover its pre-plague
numbers until the start ofthe 16th century

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Questions:
. What was the
primary manner in which the plague was spread?
A. by people fleeing plague-stricken areas
B. from Constantinople into Europe and northern Africa
C. by touching clothes
D. by ship from port to port
2. The word 'pandemic' in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to
D. occurrence
A. eruption B. disorder (C.outbreak
3. Why does the author mention that many believed this was a divine punishment for their sins in
paragraph 1?
A. To show how religious people were at the time
B. To compare past reactions to disease with current reactions
C. To show how little people understood the plague
D. To explain why the disease spread so rapidly
4. The word 'unraveling' in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to
A. perceiving B. solving C. acknowledging D. observing
5. What can be inferred from paragraph 2 about modern cases of the bubonic plague?
A. They are concentrated mainly in Africa.
B. They can be cured with modern medicine.
C, They have not constituted an epidemic since 1959.
D. They occur in areas without sanitation.

6. It can be inferred from paragraph 3 that

A. the Black Death was an epidemic in Asia.
B. the plague killed everyone in Kaffa.
C. the Genoese were weaker than Kipchak khan Janibeg's army.
D. after Constantinople. the plague hit Marseilles next.

7. The word they' in paragraph 3 refers to

A. the rodents B. people
C. clothes and belongings D. the fleas
8. According to the passage, why was the plague felt by the population at large?
A. People's family members were dying. B. People were migrating away.
C. There wasn't enough food for everyone. D. People had to leave their homes.

9. The word 'conjectures' in paragraph 6 is closest in meaning to

A. inferences B. calibrations C. dimensions D. opinions

10. All of the following were effects ofthe bubonic plague EXCEPT
A. people fled to new cities B. a lack of farmers
the trading port of Kaffa was laid siege to D. a decrease of the population

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