PASSAGE

Canada Lynx
A

The Canada lynx is like a gray ghost of the north—elusive, evading human contact. It stands about 20
inches tall at the shoulder but weighs about 20 pounds—scarcely more than a large house cat. It is
readily recognized by its long, black ear tufts; short, black-tipped tail; and large, rounded feet with furry
pads, which permit it to walk on the snow’s surface. Historically, the Canada lynx ranged from Alaska
across Canada and into many of the northern U.S. states. In eastern states, it lived in a transition zone in
which boreal coniferous forests yielded to deciduous forests. In the West, it preferred subalpine
coniferous forests of mixed age. It would den and seek protection from severe weather in mature
forests with downed logs but hunt for its primary prey, the snowshoe hare, in young forests with more
open space.

In the northern part of its range, the lynx serves as one half of a classic predator-prey relationship,
feeding almost exclusively on the snowshoe hare, a large northern rabbit that wears a brown coat in
summer and a white one in winter. The two species evolved together; the cat becoming a specialist in
killing the hare, the hare becoming adept at eluding the lynx. The lynx kills an average of one hare every
two or three days. It will turn to killing grouse, rodents, and other animals if hares become scarce. The
link between lynx and hare is so tight in the north that the two species’ populations fluctuate in almost
perfect synchrony. Hare populations follow a natural cyclical pattern, changing approximately every ten
years from abundance to scarcity and back to abundance. Adult lynx usually survive periods of hare
scarcity, but their kittens often do not. As a result, the lynx population follows a similar pattern, with its
peaks and valleys lagging one to two years behind those of the hare. Lynx populations south of the
Canadian border were probably never as abundant or dense as the more northern populations

The diet of lynx in these southern areas is more varied—including squirrels, small rodents, grouse, and
hares—and the populations are less dense and less productive than their northern counterparts. This
low density and productivity makes southern lynx populations especially vulnerable to the ever
increasing human activities that affect the abundance of the lynx’s prey base in these regions, or that
may cause lynx to avoid areas of otherwise acceptable habitat. Although lynx were never abundant in
the United States, they probably did occur in most northern states and western mountainous areas as
far south as Colorado. Today, while tens of thousands of lynx remain in Canada and Alaska, the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service (FWS) can confirm the presence of lynx populations below the border only in Maine,
Montana, Washington, and Colorado.

The lynx’s gradual disappearance from the contiguous U.S. resulted from human activities that have
compromised both the lynx and its habitat. In the nineteenth century, trapping put heavy pressure on
the species. Now, the cat’s survival in the U.S. is primarily jeopardized by habitat destruction and
fragmentation. Some timber practices can remove the mature forest that the lynx needs for denning
and rearing young. These activities can also disrupt lynx travel patterns, as the cats prefer tree cover.
Roads threaten the lynx by fragmenting its habitat, isolating lynx populations, exposing them to
predators, and providing competitor species new access to habitat formerly dominated by the lynx. For
example, snowmobile traffic creates trails that may allow competitors like coyotes, wolves, and cougars
access to lynx winter habitat. Motor vehicles also cause lynx mortality: Recent attempts to reintroduce
lynx from Canada into New York’s Adirondack Mountains failed, primarily because the cats were hit by
cars and trucks.

In the 1970s and 1980s, the threat to lynx from trapping reached a new height when the price for hides
rose to as much as $600 each. By the early 1990s, the Canada lynx was a clear candidate for Endangered
Species Act (ESA) protection. In response to the lynx’s plight, more than a dozen environmental groups
petitioned FWS in 1991 to list lynx in the lower 48 states. FWS regional offices and field biologists
supported the petition, but FWS officials in the Washington, D.C. headquarters turned it down.

Today, most suitable lynx habitat in the West is on public land. This includes national and state forests,
where logging and recreational development often occur. With memories of the northern spotted owl
controversy still fresh, FWS was reluctant to list the lynx in the lower 48 states, particularly as the
species was still considered abundant in Canada and Alaska. Furthermore, the exact factors driving the
lynx’s decline were unclear, as some methods of timber extraction, which destroy lynx habitat, seem to
promote hare populations.

G
In 1995, the stakes rose yet higher. Portions of the lynx’s habitat were slated for logging when Congress
enacted a law that demanded 330 “salvage sales” on national forests. Not only did Congress set logging
at an unsustainable level for many forests, but it also protected the sales from court appeal by
exempting them from the safeguards of environmental laws. The logging industry maintained that this
cut was necessary because large numbers of trees had died from disease, fire, and insects, thereby
making the forests unhealthy. Forest Service statistics show little change in tree deaths during the past
half century, however, and the law was written so loosely that living trees were scheduled for cutting.

Trapped between industry pressure and inconclusive science, FWS declined to list the lynx, despite the
fact that three out of four FWS regional offices favored its listing. Environmental groups took the case to
court, where, in March 1997, the judge overruled the FWS decision not to list the animal as “arbitrary
and capricious.” The ESA requires listing decisions to be made within a year after a petition is filed, but
the agency did not formally propose to list the lynx as threatened in the contiguous United States until
July 1998. In March 2000, FWS finally listed the lynx as threatened in the lower 48. Its listing will provide
a critical step in conserving the lynx throughout the southern part of its natural range, since federal
protection will spur much-needed research on the species, aid in generating funds for lynx efforts, and
form the basis for managing forest uses for lynx survival.

QUESTIONS

Questions 1-5 The reading Passage has eight paragraphs A-H. Which paragraph contains the
following information? Write the correct letter A-H, in boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet.
1 Reasons why lynx declined in US

2 Physical character of lynx

3 Eventually listed as endangered animal

4 Appeal for protection was refused

5 Subtle balance between two species

Questions 6-8 Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D. Write your answers in boxes 6-8 on your
answer sheet.
6 Why southern lynx is more vulnerable than the northern ones?

A Less diversity of diet

B Prefer to live without human trace

C Smaller size

D Live in warmer area

7 Why more risks were put on lynx’s habitat in 1995?

A Lynx was allowed to be hunted by court

B Lynx’s habitat was affected by diseased trees

C Logging was encouraged by law

D Volunteers contributed less effort in conservation

8 Which is NOT correct about benefit of listing lynx as an endangered animal?

A More research will be conducted on lynx

B Reserve the number of lynx

C gender analysis of lynx was carried out

D Attract financial support

Questions 9-10 Choose TWO correct letters from A-E Write your answers in boxes 9-10 on your
answer sheet. Please select TWO facts that correctly depict the relationship between lynx and
hare?
A Lynx size develops faster than hare’s

B Lynx evolved along with hare

C Lynx population peak matches hare’s valley

D Lynx only feed hare in both north and south area

E Population changed nearly simultaneously in north

Questions 11-13 Choose THREE correct letters from A-E Write your answers in boxes 11-13 on
your answer sheet. Please select THREE reasons in following options that caused the number
of lynx decline NOWADAYS?

A Climate change

B Trapping

C Habitat loss

D Sudden burst of disease

E Competitive predators

F Harmed by vehicles
Passage
Activities For Children
A
Twenty-five years ago, children in London walked to school and played in parks and playing fields after
school and at the weekend. Today they are usually driven to school by parents anxious about safety and
spend hours glued to television screens or computer games. Meanwhile, community playing fields are
being sold off to property developers at an alarming rate. ’This change in lifestyle has, sadly, meant
greater restrictions on children,’ says Neil Armstrong, Professor of Health and Exercise Sciences at the
University of Exeter. ’If children continue to be this inactive, they’ll be storing up big problems for the
future.’

B
In 1985, Professor Armstrong headed a five-year research project into children’s fitness. The results,
published in 1990, were alarming. The survey, which monitored 700 11-16-year-olds, found that 48 per
cent of girls and 41 per cent of boys already exceeded safe cholesterol levels set for children by the
American Heart Foundation. Armstrong adds, “heart is a muscle and need exercise, or it loses its
strength” It also found that 13 per cent of boys and 10 per cent of girls were overweight. More
disturbingly, the survey found that over a four-day period, half the girls and one-third of the boys did
less exercise than the equivalent of a brisk 10-minute walk. High levels of cholesterol, excess body fat
and inactivity are believed to increase the risk of coronary heart disease.

C
Physical education is under pressure in the UK-most schools devote little more than 100 minutes a week
to it in curriculum time, which is less than many other European countries. Three European countries
are giving children a head start in PE, France, Austria and Switzerland-offer at least two hours in primary
and secondary schools. These findings, from the European Union of Physical Education Associations,
prompted specialists in children’s physiology to call on European governments to give youngsters a daily
PE programme. The survey shows that the UK ranks 13th out of the 25 countries, with Ireland bottom,
averaging under an hour a week for PE. From age six to 18, British children received, on average, 106
minutes of PE a week. Professor Armstrong, who presented the findings at the meeting, noted that since
the introduction of the national curriculum there had been a marked fall in the time devoted to PE in UK
schools, with only a minority of pupils getting two hours a week.

D
As a former junior football international, Professor Armstrong is a passionate advocate for sport.
Although the Government has poured millions into beefing up sport in the community, there is less
commitment to it as part of the crammed school curriculum. This means that many children never
acquire the necessary skills to thrive in team games. If they are no good at them, they lose interest and
establish an inactive pattern of behaviour. When this is coupled with a poor diet, it will lead inevitably to
weight gain. Seventy per cent of British children give up all sport when they leave school, compared with
only 20 per cent of French teenagers. Professor Armstrong believes that there is far too great an
emphasis on team games at school. “We need to look at the time devoted to PE and balance it between
individual and pair activities, such as aerobics and badminton, as well as team sports.”He added that
children need to have the opportunity to take part in a wide variety of individual, partner and team
sports.
E
The good news, however, is that a few small companies and children’s activity groups have reacted
positively and creatively to the problem. Take That, shouts Gloria Thomas, striking a disco pose astride
her mini-spacehopper. ’Take That, echo a flock of toddlers, adopting outrageous postures astride their
space hoppers. ’ Michael Jackson, she shouts, and they all do a spoof fancrazed shriek. During the wild
and chaotic hopper race across the studio floor, commands like this are issued and responded to with
untrammelled glee. The sight of 15 bouncing seven-year-olds who seem about to launch into orbit at
every bounce brings tears to the eyes. Uncoordinated, loud, excited and emotional, children provide
raw comedy.

F
Any cardiovascular exercise is a good option, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be high intensity. It can
be anything that gets your heart rate up: such as walking the dog, swimming, running, skipping, hiking.
“Even walking through the grocery store can be exercise,” Samis-Smith said. What they don’t know is
that they’re at a Fit Kids class, and that the fun is a disguise for the serious exercise plan they’re covertly
being taken through. Fit Kids trains parents to run fitness classes for children. ’Ninety per cent of
children don’t like team sports,’ says company director, Gillian Gale.

G
A Prevention survey found that children whose parents keep in shape are much more likely to have
healthy body weights themselves. “There’s nothing worse than telling a child what he needs to do and
not doing it yourself,” says Elizabeth Ward, R.D., a Boston nutritional consultant and author of Healthy
Foods, Healthy Kids . “Set a good example and get your nutritional house in order first.” In the 1930s
and ’40s, kids expended 800 calories a day just walking, carrying water, and doing other chores, notes
Fima Lifshitz, M.D., a pediatric endocrinologist in Santa Barbara. “Now, kids in obese families are
expending only 200 calories a day in physical activity,” says Lifshitz, “incorporate more movement in
your family’s life—park farther away from the stores at the mall, take stairs instead of the elevator, and
walk to nearby friends’ houses instead of driving.”

QUESTIONS

Questions 14-17 The reading Passage has seven paragraphs A-G. Which paragraph contains the
following information? Write the correct letter A-G, in boxes 14-17 on your answer sheet.

14 Health and living condition of children

15 Health organization monitored physical activity

16 Comparison of exercise time between UK and other countries

17 Wrong approach for school activity

Questions 18-21 Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 2?
In boxes 18-21 on your answer sheet, write

TRUE if the statement agrees with the information

FALSE if the statement contradicts the information

NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

18 According to American Heart Foundation, cholesterol levels of boys are higher than girls’ .

19 British children generally do less exercise than some other European countries.

20 Skipping becomes more and more popular in schools of UK.

21 According to Healthy Kids,parents should encourage their children to do more activities.

Questions 22-26 Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D. Write your answers in boxes 22-26 on your
answer sheet.

22 According to paragraph A, what does Professor Neil Armstrong concern about?

A Spending more time on TV affect academic level

B Parents have less time stay with their children

C Future health of British children

D Increasing speed of property’s development

23 What does Armstrong indicate in Paragraph B?

A We need to take a 10 minute walk everyday

B We should do more activity to exercise heart

C Girls’ situation is better than boys

D Exercise can cure many disease

24 What is aim of First Kids’ training?

A Make profit by running several sessions

B Only concentrate on one activity for each child

C To guide parents how to organize activities for children

D Spread the idea that team sport is better

25 What did Lifshitz suggest in the end of this passage?

A Create opportunities to exercise your body

B Taking elevator saves your tim

C Kids should spend more than 200 calories each day

D We should never drive but walk

26 What is main idea of this passage?

A Children’s health are at risk in the future

B Children in UK need proper exercises

C Government mistaken approach for children

D Parents play the most important role in children’s activity.

PASSAGE

The origin of ancient writing

A

The Sumerians, an ancient people of the Middle East, had a story explaining the invention of writing
more than 5,000 years ago. It seems a messenger of the King of Uruk arrived at the court of a distant
ruler so exhausted that he was unable to deliver the oracle message. So the king set down the words of
his next messages on a clay tablet. A charming story, whose retelling at a recent symposium at the
University of Pennsylvania amused scholars. They smiled at the absurdity of a letter which the recipient
would not have been able to read.

They also doubted that the earliest writing was a direct, rendering of speech. riting more likely began as
a separate, symbolic system of communication and only later merged with spoken language.

Yet in the story the Sumerians, who lived in Mesopotamia, in what is ow southern Iraq, seemed to
understand writing’s transforming function. s Dr Holly Pittman, director of the University’s Center for
Ancient Studies, observed, writing “arose out of the need to store and transmit information…over time
and space”.

In exchanging interpretations and information, the scholars acknowledged that they still had no fully
satisfying answers to the questions of how and why writing developed. Many favoured an explanation of
writing’s origins in the visual arts, pictures becoming increasingly abstract and eventually representing
spoken words. Their views clashed with a widely held theory among archaeologists that writing
developed from the pieces of clay that Sumerian accountants used as tokens to keep track of goods.

Archaeologists generally concede that they have no definitive answer to the question of whether
writing was invented only once, or arose independently in several places, such as Egypt, the Indus
Valley, China, Mexico and Central America. The preponderance of archaeological data shows that the
urbanizing Sumerians were the first to develop writing, in 3,200 or 3,300 BC. These are the dates for
many clay tablets in an early form of cuneiform, a script written by pressing the end of a sharpened stick
into wet clay, found at the site of the ancient city of Uruk. The baked clay tablets bore such images as
pictorial symbols of the names of people, places and things connected with government and commerce.
The Sumerian script gradually evolved from the pictorial to the abstract, but did not at first represent
recorded spoken language.
F

Dr Peter Damerow, a specialist in Sumerian cuneiform at the Max Planck Institute for the History of
Science in Berlin, said, It is likely that there were mutual influences of writing systems around the world.
However, their great variety now shows that the development of writing, once initiated, attains a
considerable degree of independence and flexibility to adapt to specific characteristics of the sounds of
the language to be represented. Not that he accepts the conventional view that writing started as a
representation of words by pictures. New studies of early Sumerian writing, he said, challenge this
interpretation. The structures of this earliest writing did not, for example, match the structure of spoken
language, dealing mainly in lists and categories rather than in sentences and narrative.

For at least two decades, Dr Denise Schmandt-Besserat, a University of Texas archaeologist, has argued
that the first writing grew directly out of a system practised by Sumerian accountants. They used clay
tokens, each one shaped to represent a jar of oil, a container of grain or a particular kind of livestock.
These tokens were sealed inside clay spheres, and then the number and type of tokens inside was
recorded on the outside using impressions resembling the tokens. Eventually, the token impressions
were replaced with inscribed signs, and writing had been invented.

H
Though Dr Schmandt-Besserat has won much support, some linguists question her thesis, and others,
like Dr Pittman, think it too narrow. They emphasis that pictorial representation and writing evolved
together.‘There’s no question that the token system is a forerunner of writing’. Dr Pittman said, but I
have an argument with her evidence for a link between tokens and signs, and she doesn’t open up the
process to include picture making.

I
Dr Schmandt-Besserat vigorously defended her ideas.‘My colleagues say that pictures were the
beginning of writing’, she said,‘but show me a single icture that becomes a sign in writing. They say that
designs on pottery were the beginning of writing, but show me a single sign of writing you can trace
back to a pot — it doesn’t exist’. In its first 500 years, she asserted, cuneiform writing was used almost
solely for recording economic information, and after that its uses multiplied and broadened.

Yet other scholars have advanced different ideas. Dr. Piotr Michalowski, Professor of Near East
Civilizations at the University of Michigan, said that the proto-writing of Sumerian Uruk was‘so radically
different as to be a complete break with the past’. It no doubt served, he said, to store and
communicate information, but also became a new instrument of power. Some scholars noted that the
origins of writing may not always have been in economics. In Egypt, most early writing is high on
monuments or deep in tombs. In this case, said Dr Pascal Vernus from a university in Paris, early writing
was less administrative than sacred. It seems that the only certainty in this field is that many questions
remain to be answered.

QUESTIONS

Questions 27-30 Choose the correct letter A, B, C or D

27 The researchers at the symposium regarded the story of the King of Uruk as ridiculous because

A writing probably developed independently of speech.

B clay tablets had not been invented at that time.

C the distant ruler would have spoken another language.

D evidence of writing has been discovered from an earlier period.

28 According to the writer, the story of the King of Uruk

A is a probable explanation of the origins of writing

B proves that early writing had a different function to writing today.

C provides an example of symbolic writing.

D shows some awareness amongst Sumerians of the purpose by writing.

29 There was disagreement among the researchers at the symposium about

A the area where writing began.

B the nature of early writing materials.

C the way writing began.

D the meaning of certain abstract images.

30 The opponents of the theory that writing developed from tokens believe that it

A grew out of accountancy.

B evolved from pictures

C was initially intended as decoration.

D was unlikely to have been connected with commerce.

Questions 31-36 Look at the following statements (Questions 31-36) and the list of people below.
Match each statement with the correct person, A-E. Write the correct letter, A-E, in boxes 31-36 on
your answer sheet.

NB You may use any letter more than once.

List of People

A Dr Holly Pittman

B Dr Peter Damerow

C Dr Denise Schmandt-Besserat

D Dr Piotr Michalowski
E Dr Pascal Vernus

31 There is no proof that early writing is connected to decorated household objects.

32 As writing developed, it came to represent speech.

33 Sumerian writing developed into a means of political control.

34 Early writing did not represent the grammatical features of speech.

35 There is no convincing proof that tokens and signs are connected.

36 The uses of cuneiform writing were narrow at first, and later widened.

Questions 37-40 Complete the summary using the list of words, A-M, below. Write the correct letter,
A-M, in boxes 37-40 on your answer sheet

The earliest form of writing Most archaeological evidence shows that the people of 37 ………………..
invented writing in around 3,300 BC. Their script was written on 38 ……………….. and was called 39
……………….. Their script originally showed images related to political power and business, and later
developed to become more 40 ………………..

A cuneiform

B pictorial

C tomb walls

D urban

E legible

F stone blocks

G simple

H Mesopotamia

I abstract

J papyrus sheets

K decorative

L clay tablets Uruk

M Egypt