Passage 1:

Mammals In The Sea 

Most _______________ of mammals live on land. But mammal  ____________ like whales,
dolphins, seals and sea-lions live in the  sea. ____________ they can stay in water for long
_____________  of time. Like all other mammals, they breathe air and need to surface  surface from
time to time to breathe.  
People often ____________ whales for fish because they look  so much like fish. Being
mammals, whales have hair, they are warm blooded and their __________ drink milk from their
mothers' bodies.  If a whale stays __________ too long, it will drown. Although whales  are big,
most of them do not eat big things ______________ whales'  throats are very narrow.  
Dolphins are small whales. They are playful and often _______  out of the water. Seals and sea
lions are slightly ___________ from  whales. They are ____________ to come to land and
___________  about on their fin-feet. 

Passage 2: 
Watches From Switzerland 
The Swiss are ________________ for making watches. They  _________ about half of the watches
in the world. The _________  where watches are manufactured are brightly lit and clean.  The
____________ in the factory wear white coats and work  on long tables. Each worker does a little bit
of work on each watch.  This is called an ____________ line. Carefully, ____________ by  piece,
they put them __________ to make a watch. Some workers  use ____________ glasses to help them
see small objects.  Switzerland does not have iron, coal or oil that are needed for  heavy
_______________. But the country does have lots of highly  ______________ workers. The Swiss
produce valuable items that  _______________ little raw materials but lots of skills. This makes 
Switzerland a ____________ country. 

Passage 3: 
Cried "Wolf !" 
There was once a ____________ boy who tendered his sheep  everyday. As the sheep grazed
the ______________, he sat idly by  staring into the sky most of the time. But he ___________ for
some  excitment and one day an idea came into his ____________.  
"Wolf! Wolf!" he shouted as loud as he ____________.  On hearing the shepherd boy's
cry for ________, the villagers  rushed into the field to save him. But when they __________, they 
saw no wolf but the boy roaring with ____________. The villagers  did not think it was funny and all
left feeling very upset.  The next week, the shepherd boy __________ the same trick  on the
villagers again. This time, the villagers again rushed to help  him only to find they were fooled once
more and the boy laughing  louder than ____________.  
The next day, a wolf really came to _________ the shepherd  boy's sheep. "Wolf! Wolf!" the
boy yelled and yelled and yelled.  When the villagers heard the boy yelling, they ___________ 
him. They thought he must be playing his trick again. 

Passage 4:
The Internet
The Internet is a network which links computers _____________  all over the world. It
______________ one computer in one country to  communicate with another computer, possibly in
another country.  There are over sixty million Internet _____________ in the world  today. People
communicate with one ____________ using electronic  mail or email for short. This _____________
of communication is fast,  efficient and cheap.  
Many companies and individuals __________ information on the  Internet for everybody to access.
The Internet has thus ___________  a valuable source of information where practically anything
________  the sun can be found. Many people __________ or "surf" the Internet  regularly for
information. One good example is that you __________  obtained this worksheet from the Internet.  
You can also ____________ the latest news or sports results on  the Internet without __________ to
wait for the next day's newspaper  reports.  
Many companies also use the Internet to ______________ their  customers about themselves and
their __________. Very often, they  also provide information on job _________ in their
organization. The  Internet is also the best place for anyone to express their creativity.

Passage 5: 
Animals Survival 
Animals communicate _________ their own species for survival.  Most animals use _____________
to communicate. Birds have song organs called syrinxes which can _____________ a range of
sounds.  
Human beings converse by _______________ to one another using  words.  When a good source of
nectar is ____________, the honeybee  will fly back to its ____________ and perform a waggling
dance that  only bees can ____________. The location, distance and quality of  the ____________ is
communicated through the waggling dance.  Animals also protect __________ from predators. Some
insects  rely on camouflage to ___________ attacks. A spiny stick insect will  stay very
___________ among foliage to resemble a cluster of dead  leaves. Different animals adopt different
methods to ____________  their survival. 

Passage 6: 
EXTRA SENSES 
Apart ______________ their usual sense organs, animals often  develop special sense organs. These
___________ give them extra  sensitivity and information about the ___________ around them and 
are often needed for survival.  
Dogs have the most amazing sense of ____________. Inside a  dog's muzzle, there is a large space
that _____________ scents and  passes the sensory information to the ___________. Moisture
inside  the nose ______ to dissolve scent particles, this enhances detection  of the smell. Interpreting
scents takes up a large ____________ of a  dog's brain activities.  
Snakes have an organ at the roof of their mouths ___________  the Jacobson's organ. A snake
collects chemical particles ________  its tongue and transfers them to sensory _________________
in the  Jacobson's organ for the chemicals to be detected.  
Human beings do not develop extra sense organs. Often when  one of the senses is _____________,
the other senses can become  more sensitive to overcome deficiencies. 

Passage 7: 
A Boiler Explosion 
Two technicians and a factory supervisor were __________ in  hospital with severe burns after a
___________ boiler exploded in a  chemical plant early yesterday morning. The plant is not
_________  
yet and the three workers were ____________ trial runs.  A flash fire followed by an explosion
_____________ inside the  furnace of the boiler. This ___________ in the collapse of the boiler 
structure and high-pressure steam was ________________ into the  atmosphere.  
The fire brigade arrived ______________ minutes and brought  the fire under control within
___________ hour. The injured workers  are reported to be in critical but stable ___________.
Meanwhile the  company is conducting investigations into the _____________ of the  explosion and
promised to fully _____________ the injured workers  and their families. 

Passage 8:
 Guarding Christmas Trees 
Thieves have ____________ a major British supermarket chain  store to call in a squad of army
veterans. These ____________, clad  in camouflage outfits and equipped with night ___________
goggles,  are being employed to _________ a plot of woodland with thousands  of Christmas trees.  
As the festive season ___________ near, the conifer trees have  become more valuable. A truckload
of these trees can ____________  tens of thousands of dollars. ________ by theives are well
organised  and stolen trees are extremely easy to _________ as there are many  buyers. In previous
years, truckloads of trees have ______________  stolen overnight.  
The soldiers have already put their army ____________ to good  use by building hideouts of foliage
_________ which they can survey  the estate. However, the guards are ___________ strict orders not
to  shoot or injured the thieves. This is best left to the police. 

Passage 9: 
Primates 
Monkeys, apes and humans are mammals which fall ________  the primate category. Primates are
________ most intelligent group  of animals. To _______ their environment, they have
characteristics  like forward ___________ eyes for judging distances and opposing  
thumbs for ____________ things.  
Gorillas live in ____________ lowland rainforests or high up in  the mountains. Gorillas are heavy in
__________. They spend most  of their time on the __________ walking on their feet and fore limbs 
knuckles. Although gorillas look big and fearsome, they _________  are vegetarians.  
Orang utans, like gorillas and gibbons, are __________. They  are shy solitary primates. They are
_______________ mainly in the  rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra in Asia. They ____________
all  their lives living on trees. 

Passage 10: 
Birds 
Birds are the largest animals that are ___________ to fly. They  have streamlined __________ and
flat feathers to reduce resistance  during flight. Their hollow bones ____________ body weight.  All
birds lay eggs. Their eggs are ___________ in a hard shell.  Some birds like the ostriches have wings
but __________ fly. They  have other abilities like strong and powerful legs for ____________ 
away from predators.  
Every bird has ___________ own distinctive egg. But all eggs  are pointed at one end and round at
the _____________. This is to  _______________ the eggs from rolling in any direction and hence, 
rolling off the nest.  
The hard, pointed mouth of a bird is known as the _________  or beak. The shape and size of the
beak __________ on its eating  ____________. The eagle with its hooked beak is ideal for tearing 
flesh. 

Passage 11:
Members of the Vietnamese national women’s football team have just returned home after earning a
berth at the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time and (1) _________ fifth at the recently
concluded 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup. This goes to (2) ________ that women’s football has
(3) _________ miracles after more than three decades of establishment and development. Although
many players tested positive for COVID-19 in late 2021, the team did not (4)_________ to the
challenge and qualified for the quarterfinals of the 2022 AFC Asian Cup. After losing 1-3 to China,
Vietnam had to compete in the play-off round to vie (5) _________ a ticket to the 2023 World Cup.
The team showed dominance against Thailand with a 2-0 victory, and gained a convincing 2-1 win
against Chinese Taipei, making (6) _________ for having the first appearance in the Women’s
World Cup.
With this outstanding achievement, the team, (7)__________ head coach Chung, has been presented
with the Labour Orders. Meanwhile, the officials of VFF have also promised to create the best (8)
__________ for the squad to train and compete abroad.

Passage 12:
Europe is confronted (1)____________an unprecedented migration crisis in terms of the
(2)_________ of migrants arriving in Europe as well as the level of involvement of complex and
ruthless migrant smuggling networks. This is a (3)___________ indication that organized crime
networks are profiting (4)_____________ mass migration. Europol has been at the forefront of
supporting Member States in (5)___________ the criminal networks that exploit desperate migrants
seeking Migrant smuggling networks (6)_________ proven ersatile and robust, quickly altering law
enforcement action to the routes (7)___________ to smuggle migrants to the EU. These routes are
constantly diversifying and changing. More than (8)_________ before, law enforcement authorities
have to rely on situational awareness and an intelligence picture updated in real-time that can
(9)_____________ be provided through effective intelligence sharing. In 2015 alone, these
organized crime networks generated an estimated USD 5-6 billion from their (10)____________
activities whose earnings strengthen criminal networks and have a significant negative long-term
impact on Europe's economy.

Guided Cloze Test: (Ahead with CPE)

Passage 1:
Cheetah: not your average big cat
That the cheetah is the fastest of the big cats is beyond dispute and common knowledge with it
having reportedly been clocked at speeds in excess of 70mph. However, whilst it has impressive
acceleration over short distances, it could not (1)__________ sustain such speeds for any
significant length of time. Therefore, when hunting, it relies largely on the (2)___________ of
surprise to use its speed to good advantage. Otherwise, in a prolonged hunt, it will (3)___________
wanting in the stamina department and generally have to abandon the chase.
Still on the (4)__________ of running, incredibly, a sprinting cheetah is actually completely
airborne more than fifty percent of the time. Indeed, at full (5)_________, its single stride length is
an impressive seven metres.
Cheetahs are peculiar amongst big cats, though, because, aside from their breathtaking speed, their
performance in other areas actually leaves a lot to be (6)_________. For instance, their nocturnal
vision is little better than our own. Uncharacteristically for a big cat, too. females are
(7)__________ to be loners, whilst it is males that are more likely to (8)___________, frequently
in groups up to five. The collective noun for a group of male cheetahs is a coalition.
1. A. conceivably B. perceivably C. comprehensively D. predictably
2. A. segment B. feature C. portion D. element
3. A. show B. prove C. confirm D. disclose
4. A. course B. field C. subject D. content
5. A. rate B. throttle C. rush D. scurry
6. A. desired B. required C. craved D. fancied
7. A. convinced B. swayed C. prompted D. inclined
8. A. conjoin B. congest C. congregate D. disperse

Passage 2:
Shark myth busted
Sharks undeniably have a very bad (0)___rap____ thanks to sensationalized stories in film and the
media; stories which cause them to be identified as dangerous, indiscriminate killers, prepared to
hunt anything in sight. However, the reality could not be further removed from this
(1)__________. Indeed, far from being the fearsome man eaters they are frequently (2)_________
as, the reverse is more often true and sharks are generally victims of humanity. For instance,
millions are killed annually for (3)__________ in soup. leading to depleting shark numbers
worldwide.
So, whilst sharks are undeniably food for humans, the reverse is seldom true. Sharks do not prey
on people per se, and the overwhelming majority of shark attacks are a case of mistaken
(4)___________.(Surfers, for instance, look (5)_________similar in profile to seals from the
depths of the ocean, where sharks lie in (6)___________, which explains why they are often
considered most at risk.) Besides, the majority of shark species are incapable of tackling prey the
size of humans and instead feed on small fish, or invertebrates such as squid or clams. Indeed, the
impressive (7)__________ of shark species is reflected in the fact that there are also many filter
feeders, which dine on microscopic sea life, such as plankton.
To put the figures in greater (8)_________, there are over one hundred million sharks killed by
humans every year whilst there are typically fewer than ten shark-related human fatalities.
1. A. misperception B. disbelief C. disillusion D. misgiving
2. A. evoked B. depicted C. related D. associated
3. A. addition B. consumption C. resumption D. absorption
4. A. recognition B. character C. identity D. subject
5. A. narrowly B. scarcely C. remarkably D. commonly
6. A. wait B. hide C. cover D. secret
7. A. perversity B. immensity C. adversity D. diversity
8. A. setting B. scene C. comparison D. context

Passage 3:
(Kind of) on the scent of cancer
Dogs can (0)____boast_____ a range of impressive skills in their portfolio, from leading the blind
to carrying out mountain rescues to (1)__________ those with contraband goods at border control
posts. Unquestionably, they have extremely (2)___________ senses compared to us humans and,
recently, scientists have been investigating the precise (3)__________ of their talents in relation
specifically to their sense of smell. In short, they wanted to find out if man's best friend could
(4)__________ out cancer.
Indeed, this notion has been around for a while, (5)__________ on the internet for the most part,
where anecdotal evidence abounds in the form of countless stories of family dogs persistently
smelling certain areas of their owner's body, areas later shown to be cancerous. However, whilst
the canine sense of smell is unquestionably (6)___________, thus far at least, there appears to be
little scientific (7)___________ for a canine cancer screening program.
The problem is that whilst studies have shown that dogs are right about cancer more often than
could be explained by pure chance, their (8)_________ rates are not high enough to make them
reliable for screening purposes. Besides, there already exist numerous cancer tests that are far more
accurate and effective for this purpose.
Therefore, sadly, whilst man's best friend undoubtedly has some very impressive tricks in his
repertoire, he will not be turning up in cancer units any time soon other than to comfort his loved
ones in their time of distress.
1. A. recommending B. condescending C. comprehending D. apprehending
2. A. broadened B. lengthened C. aggravated D. heightened
3. A. length B. extent C. coverage D. dimension
4. A. sense B. smell C. sniff D. scent
5. A. perpetuated B. commemorated C. conserved D. reserved
6. A. astounding B. resounding C. compounding D. abounding
7. A. motive B. basis C. footing D. concept
8. A. identification B. recognition C. detection D. diagnosis
Passage 4:
The best stargazing sites in the world
If stargazing is high on your list of vacation to dos, a destination worthy of (0)___serious____
consideration is the Atacama Desert. The reason for this is simple enough: for (1)__________
viewing pleasure, you need cloudless skies, which the Atacama provides in abundance on account
of it being one of the driest places on earth. Indeed, the area around America's Grand Canyon
makes an excellent viewing location for similar reasons, with its equally (2)__________ terrain
and low precipitation levels. What both places also guarantee is a very low population density
given their (3)__________. This is pivotal to successful stargazing, which the abundant lighting of
built-up areas only serves to sabotage.
The island of La Palma though, can usually go one better. Not only does it have a relatively low
population density, but a regularly occurring natural weather phenomenon ensures that the island's
upper (4)__________ are typically shielded from what little interference there is from sources of
(5)___________ luminescence. This phenomenon of inversion results in a blanket of low-lying
cloud situated at about one thousand metres. Above that altitude, the skies are blissfully clear,
making conditions truly idyllic for staring into the heavens. Of course, there is a (6)____________
of other good sites for stargazing scattered around the globe too, not least the vast Australian bush.
However, La Palma probably (7)_________ them all on account of its accessibility and viewing
conditions, which combined, (8)___________to make it as near perfect as a stargazing destination
can get.
1. A. optimal B. optical C. sceptical D. statistical
2. A. tepid B. arid C. humid D. avid
2. A. lonesomeness B. withdrawal C. remoteness D. turbulence
4. A. elevations B. reflections C. dimensions D. excavations
5. A. beneficial B. artificial C. superficial D. unofficial
6. A. magnitude B. fortitude C. gratitude D. multitude
7. A. covers B. summits C. climaxes D. tops
8. A. perspire B. respire C. conspire D. inspire

Passage 5:
Esperanto
When LL Zamenhof (0) constructed the auxiliary language of Esperanto in the late 1800s, he did so
with certain key goals in mind: to (1)_________ the study of language easier and more learner-
friendly; and to develop a universal language as a means of international communication and as a
(2)___________ for promoting concord and understanding in a discordant world. His goals were
influenced very much by his own experiences of growing up in Bialystok, which is part of modern-
day Poland. A multitude of different ethnic groups lived there at the time and were constantly
(3)__________ with one another. It was this at which Zamenhof despaired, and he reasoned that the
(4)__________ cause of dispute was the barriers to communication present on account of the lack
of a common language. Therefore, he set out to create one: Esperanto.
His goals were incredibly ambitious, but was the new language a success? Well, in so far as it is the
most widely spoken artificial one in existence today, with an estimated two-plus-million people
worldwide fluent to some degree, you would have to say yes. However, the fact remains that
Esperanto has not (5)____________ English as the lingua franca of international communication,
nor has it been nearly so widely (6)__________ as Zamenhof himself would have hoped.
Therefore, judged against Zamenhof's own (7)___________ ambitions for the language, the
conclusion could not be in the affirmative. That said, his intentions in building an entirely new
language were incredibly noteworthy and that the language has (8)__________ even to the extent
that it has done, with millions of active speakers, is, in and of itself, quite remarkable.

1. A. render B. prove C. adjust D. portray

2. A. mechanism B. utensil C. device D. scheme
3. A. quarrelling B. disputing C. debating D. conflicting
4. A. outlying B. underlying C. outstanding D. underlining
5. A. promoted B. usurped C. overturned D. reversed
6. A. endured B. embraced C. embodied D. enhanced
7. A. reckless B. modest C. lofty D. pushy
8. A. enriched B. cultivated C. stretched D. prospered

Passage 6:
The North Coast 500
Pitched as Scotland's answer to America's Route 66, the North Coast 500, as the name would
(0)___imply___ is a roughly five-hundred-mile coastal route around the northernmost part of the
island of Britain. It was conceived by the Scottish tourist authority as an effort to (1)___________
new life into the remote, rural Highlands by attracting a new (2)___________ of foreign tourists.
Much hype accompanied the launch of the new route, but does it really live up to its
(3)___________ as one of the greatest road trips on the planet?
Well, as the circular route (4)__________ the top-most part of the island, it certainly offers its fair
share of spectacular scenery. There are fairy-tale castles aplenty. (5)____________ beaches with
not a soul to be found on them, which you can truly have all to yourself for so long as you wish,
and, between the ancient ruins and the incredibly scenic and oft-misty landscapes, there is also more
than enough romanticism to go round.
That's not bad for a start, but the route has other surprises in store, too, such as the (6)___________
of quaint little villages dotted along its way, not to mention the incredibly friendly and welcoming
local folk who call these places home. Hospitality is very much the (7)__________ of the day in
these parts.
So, as epic motoring routes go, the North Coast 500 certainly (8)__________
all the right boxes. It is, unquestionably, therefore, worthy of serious consideration for all those
eager road-trippers out there.
1. A. inject B. invest C. initiate D. institute
2. A. tide B. wave C. stream D. swell
3. A. accolade B. crown C. billing D. caption
4. A. steers B. pilots C. evades D. skirts
5. A. enriched B. routine C. tarnished D. pristine
6. A. scarcity B. boom C. plethora D. torrent
7. A. impression B. order C. slant D. concept
8. A. ticks B. shifts C. blots D. signs

Passage 7:
Football and the opera
They are two words you would probably think it (0)____highly____ unlikely to find in the same
sentence - football and opera - yet, strange as it may seem, the popularity of one of opera's best-
known arias (1)__________ much to the beautiful game. Ask anyone to name an opera piece they
know and Nessun dorma will invariably be one of the first that (2)__________ to mind. From the
opera Turandot, it is a love song sung by an eager prince looking to (3)___________ the beautiful
princess which the opera itself is named after. However, the question is, opera being an art often
seen as the exclusive domain of the upper classes, how on earth did this humble aria manage to
(4)__________ class in its appeal in quite the manner which it has done?
Well, it all started at the 1990 World Cup, hosted by Italy. The aria was performed there by
Luciano Pavarotti before a huge television audience which would otherwise likely never have been
(5)___________ to such an operatic piece. Pavarotti's (6)__________ proved hugely popular and
the aria went on to become one of the best-selling classical hits of all time. Opera, it seemed, had
found a most unlikely new home in the hearts of football fans across the world.
Indeed, Nessun dorma has remained hugely popular ever since, and its connection with football
was reaffirmed as recently as in 2016, when Leicester City (7)__________a fairy-tale season by
claiming the Premiership crown. Following the success, their Italian manager invited his good
friend tenor Andrea Bocelli to perform the aria as part of the fans' celebration. I wonder: how many
more unlikely opera lovers did football have a (8)______ in creating on that memorable day?
1. A. profits B. owes C. gifts D. springs
2. A. pounce B. spring C. vault D. dive
3. A. woo B. propose C. submit D. caress
4. A. transcend B. transmit C. transport D. transform
5. A. aroused B. divulged C. submitted D. exposed
6. A. exposition B. repetition C. execution D. rendition
7. A. attained B. ignited C. capped D. sparked
8. A. limb B. finger C. hand D. glove

Passage 8:
Hope and the human condition
Today, Vincent Van Gogh is (0)___widely___ regarded as one of the greatest painters of all time.
During his lifetime, however, he was a (1)_________ unknown. Indeed, in the commercial sense,
he was a total failure and managed to only ever sell one painting, tragically just months before his
own (2)___________, for the paltry sum of 400 francs.
However, Van Gogh's struggles were not solely financial. His was a life full of (3)___________
and for most of it he was deeply unhappy and troubled. An aloof child, he was a disappointment to
most of his relatives, although he (4)___________ the support of his beloved brother, Theo, who
financed his training and development through most of his active years as an artist. Adulthood,
however, would not prove a happy phase of life for Van Gogh either; he was laid off from his first
job as an art dealer, and, in his own (5)___________, considered himself inadequate in future roles
as a teacher and bookseller, too, whether or not this was wholly true.
Desperate to find his (6)____________ in life, he later became a minister and missionary, but this
only prompted him to disavow religion and despair at the extent of poverty in the microcosm of the
world in which he operated. He loved passionately, too, but his advances were seldom welcomed
by those he wooed. He became, in time, more and more (7)___________ and experienced multiple
breakdowns and depressive episodes.
What is remarkable however, is how, amidst all the misery and sadness, he was able to
(8)____________ as an artist creatively and produce some truly beautiful, inspiring and uplifting
work. One can only therefore marvel at the human condition, for which hope, it seems, burns long
and intensely. Fittingly perhaps, then, although Van Gogh's own candle burned out prematurely,
his legacy candle remains alight today and burns as vigorously as ever.
1. A. firm B. constant C. regular D. virtual
2. A. termination B. advance C. fatality D. passing
3. A. dimensions B. turbulence C. merit D. provocation
4. A. detained B. pertained C. retained D. sustained
5. A. estimation B. impression C. regard D. valuation
6. A. calling B. mission C. function D. aspiration
7. A. exclusive B. reclusive C. inclusive D. conclusive
8. A. spring B. enlarge C. blossom D. multiply

Mutltiple matching: (Hamilton House CPE Practice Test)

Switch on your brain

A book seeks to explain how our minds work through the maze of consciousness - Eric Banks

A. You don't have to conduct a thought experiment to see why some philosophers want to write for
an audience cheerfully indifferent to the ways of the seminar room and the strictures of the refereed
journal. Beyond the fame and fortune, perhaps more important is the sense that if one's work is worth
doing at all, it ought to reach the widest possible audience. Some, I imagine, also relish the bonus
frisson of mixing it up in the rowdy rough-and-tumble of the public arena. If you're like Daniel C.
Dennett - one of whose many mantras is Gore Vidal's “It is not enough to succeed. Others must fail."
- what's the point of felling the philosopher's tree if there's no one to hear it? Since the publication of
his book Consciousness Explained in 1991, Dennett has gladly risen to the challenge, merrily taking
on all comers, in works that play to a packed house most philosophers could never dream of.

B. For Dennett, the experience of communicating to a broad readership his brawny materialist
agenda has an ancillary and less obvious boon. Specialists, he writes, tend to under-explain to one
another the very terms of their discussions. These experts benefit from translating their respective
position down, as it were, so that they might be presented to 'curious non-experts', as Dennett puts it
in Intuition Pumps and Other Tools for Thinking. They will be forced to think anew and
paradoxically think harder. The notion that a 'position' might get fine-tuned just as neatly in the
imagined company of a well-intentioned fast learner as it would among scholarly peers is ingrained
in Dennett's go-go style of doing philosophy winner-take-all stakes. As set out in Intuition Pumps,
his narrative approach, plain-talk prose and gotcha argument stoppers will prove as roundly
appealing to some as it will seem pandering to others.

C. Part of Dennett's role in Intuition Pumps is to serve as a kind of design engineer. With the concept
of 'intuition pump', he repurposes the thought experiment - a form of argumentation of ancient and
venerable purpose in philosophy ( and in other disciplines, especially physics) - in order to transform
its somewhat neutral-sounding disposition into a power tool, one that addresses a basic question: Is it
designed well enough to get the job done? First renamed ’intuition pumps' in The Mind's I, the
hybrid work Dennett coproduced with Douglas Hofstadter, these narrative devices can condense a
complex set of propositions and suppositions into an imaginable story that summarises or illustrates a
position. Hence their extreme popularity in the history of philosophy, from Plato's cave to Parfit's
amoeba They can be positive or critical, launching a new idea or yanking the rug from under
someone else's pet position. Either way, such thought experiments are designed to jolt the reader's
sense of intuition.
D. But what is the difference between a good intuition pump and a flawed one? Searle's Chinese
Room, famously objected to by Dennett, has spawned scores of counter-thought experiments,
replicating itself in many variations; by the mid-90s, Steven Pinker commented that it had become
the source of at least a hundred papers. It has allowed articulations of positions from a vast number
of academic fields, from proponents of Al to linguists, and generated commentary on semantics,
consciousness and evolution. Sounds like a pretty fecund tool for thinking to me! But for the budding
philosophy student reading Intuition Pumps, Dennett reserves the right to select the hammer and pick
the gauge of nail. But what good is it to present this book as a collection of helpful 'tools for thinking'
when it turns out the only successful tools just happen to run on precisely the same voltage as
Dennett's own particular theories and propositions?

E. Intuition Pumps is valuable in providing an overview of a body of recent work in the philosophy
of mind, but it also suffers from Dennett's penchant for cleverness which causes it to become
tiresome and tacky. He returns to a long-ago verbal conflict with Stepan Jay Gould to discuss
rhetorical sleights of hand, and even coins a new word to describe the tendency to advance straw-
man arguments and false dichotomies - 'Goulding'. How is that a better ‘thinking tool'? He mocks
philosopher Ned Block and condescendingly takes the opportunity to chide Thomas Nagel for not
consulting 'the experts' on evolutionary biology. All this sour score-settling with Dennett’s
philosophical peers is definitely less witty than I imagine he takes it to be. But in the spirit of
Dennett's tactic, I’d offer one historical vignette that characterizes his frequent summoning of an
army of scientists at his back, and call that future-perfect feint a Ledru-Rollin. That would be in
honour of the hectoring French propagandist of 1848 who famously bellowed, 'There go my people. I
must follow them, for I am their leader!'

In which section are following mentioned?

the idea that writing for the layperson means adopting new trains of thought 93. ………

the possibility that the author overestimates his ability to be amusing 94. ………

the lack of freedom associated with academic writing 95. ………

the author's reluctance to accept positions that do not comply with his own 96. ………

the author's predisposition to pour scorn on his colleagues 97. ………

the ability of a concept to dispel a philosopher's favourite theory 98. ………

the possibility that the author has made an unjustified criticism in his book 99. ………

the use of a term that brings about a change in the connotation of a particular concept 100. ………

the author's belief that when a disagreement occurs, one viewpoint must prevail 101. ………

a platform that is distinctly lacking in formality 102. ………

IELTS READING (chọn hsgqg 2022-2023)

Part 6. For questions 103-115. (1.3 points - 0.1/each) Read the following passage and do the
tasks that follow.

Seed Vault Guards Resources For The Future

Fiona Harvey paid a visit to a building whose contents are very precious.

About 1,000 km from the North Pole, Svalbard is one of the most remote places on earth. For this
reason, it is the site of a vault that will safeguard a priceless component of our common heritage –
the seeds of our staple crops. Here, seeds from the world’s most vital food crops will be locked away
for hundreds or even thousands of years. If something goes wrong in the world, the vault will
provide the means to restore farming. We, or our descendants, will not have to retread thousands of
years of agriculture from scratch.

Deep in the vault at the end of a long tunnel, are three storage vaults which are lined with insulated
panels to help maintain the cold temperatures. Electronic transmitters linked to a satellite system
monitor temperature, etc, and pass the information back to the appropriate authorities at
Longyearbyen and the Nordic Gene Bank which provide the technical information for managing the
seed vaults. The seeds are placed in scaled boxes and stored on shelves in the vaults. The minimal
moisture level and low temperature ensure low metabolic activity. The remote location, as well as
the rugged structure, provide unparalleled security for the world’s agricultural heritage.

The three vaults are buried deep in the hillside. To reach them, it is necessary to proceed down a long
and surprisingly large corridor. At 93.3 meters in length, it connects the 26-meter-long entrance
building to the three vaults, each of which extends a further 27 meters into the mountain. Towards
the end of this tunnel, after about 80 meters, there are several small rooms on the right-hand side.
One is a transformer room to which only the power company officials have access – this houses the
equipment needed to transform the incoming electrical current down to 220 volts. A second is an
electrical room housing control for the compressor and other equipment. The oilier room is an office
that can be heated to provide comfortable working conditions for those who will make an inventory
of the samples in and out of the vault.

Anyone seeking access to the seeds has to pass through four locked doors: the heavy steel entrance
doors, a second door approximately 90 meters down the tunnel, and finally the two keyed doors
separated by an airlock, from which it is possible to proceed directly into the seed vaults. Keys are
coded to allow access to different levels of the facility. A work of art will make the vault visible for
miles with reflective sheets of steel and mirrors which form an installation acting as a beacon. It
reflects polar light in the summer months, while in the winter, a network of 200 fiber-optic cables
will give the piece a muted greenish-turquoise and white light. Cary Fowler, the mastermind behind
the vault, stands inside the echoing cavern. For him, this is the culmination of nearly 30 years of
work. ‘It’s an insurance policy,’ he explains, a very cheap insurance policy when you consider what
we’re ensuring – the earth’s biological diversity.’

Seeds are being brought here from all over the world, from seed banks created by governments,
universities and private institutions. Soon, there will be seed varieties from at least 100 crops in the
Svalbard vault – extending to examples of all of the 1.5 million known crop seed varieties in the
world. If any more are unearthed. either in the wild or found in obscure collections, they can be
added, too – the vault has room for at least 4.5 million samples. Inside the entrance area it is more
than 10°C below freezing, but in the chambers where the seeds are kept, refrigerators push down the
temperature even further, to -18°C. At this temperature, which will be kept constant to stop the seeds
from germinating or rotting, the wheat seeds will remain viable for an estimated 1.700 years.

Svalbard’s Arctic conditions will keep the seeds cold. In order to maintain the temperature at a
constant -10°C to -20°C, the cold Arctic air will be drawn into the vault during the winter,
automatically and without human intervention. The surrounding rock will maintain the temperature
requirements during the extremely cold season and, during warmer periods, refrigeration equipment
will engage. Looking out across the snow-covered mountains of Svalbard, it is hard not to feel
respect for the 2,300 or so people who live here, mainly in Longyearbyen, a village a few miles
away. There are three months without light in winter.

Svalbard is intended as the seed bank of last resort. Each sample is made up of a few hundred seeds,
sealed inside a watertight package which will never be tampered with while it is in the vault. The
packages of seeds remain the property of the collections they have come from. Svalbard will disburse
samples ‘only if all the other seeds in other collections around the world are gone,’ explains Fowler.
If seeds do have to be given out, those who receive them are expected to germinate them and
generate new samples, to be returned to the vault.

For questions 103-108, fill in the numbered blank with NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS OR A
NUMBER according to the information the passage.

The Svalbard Vault is the location where invaluable seeds of our staple crops are safeguarded. A
closer inspection of the site suggests that the installation in the ingress consists of (103)___________
and metal panels that maximize natural light. Looking further inside, a (104)____________ tunnel
connects the entrance building to the vault. Prior to entering it, seeds are processed in the
(105)____________. Meanwhile, the (106)____________ is reduced as it is channeled into a vault.
The entry to the seed vault itself is guarded with portals with (107)_____________ sandwiched
between them. Here, the seeds are conserved by the cold and a paucity of (108)_____________.

For questions 109-115 Do the following statements agree with the information given in the
reading passage? Write TRUE (T) if the statement agrees with the information, FALSE (F) if
the statement contradicts with the information and NOT GIVEN (NG) if there is no relevant
information in the passage.

STETEMENTS T F NG

109. Uncharted variants of seed can be stashed within the vault at a later
date.

110. The degrees of infrigidation differ from each other in accordance with
the categories of seeds stored

111. In inclement weather conditions, self-propelled air flows penetrate the

vault.

112. With the aim of preserving the cold temperatures, three storage
chambers situated at the far end of the tunnel are covered with conductive
panels.

113. The instant a seed container is placed in the vault, it is kept

hermetically sealed.

114. In case the current refrigeration system acts up, a substitute one is
ready to be activated.

115. The vault positions itself as the most sheltered place for sustaining
global agricultural values bequeathed to human posterity by virtue of its
distance and jaggedness.