TEACHER JOJO’ S ENGLISH LEARNING ACADEMY

JUEC Comprehension

PART 1

Read the text. Choose the best answer (a, b, or c).

Nelson Mandela

The biography of Nelson Mandela reads like a morality tale. Here is a man who is
subjected by a racist society to years of imprisonment, for most of the time in
degrading and humiliating conditions, who emerges a quarter of a century later to
become president of his country and Nobel Peace Prize winner.
Nelson Mandela came slowly to political activism. He grew up as a reasonably
privileged child and was not exposed to the racial discrimination which was becoming
institutionalized in his country until he was at university at the age of 24. But once he
recognized the injustices, he could not remain silent and he was expelled from the
University of Fort Hare in 1940 for taking part in a student demonstration. He did not
give up on his university degree, however, eventually completing the course by
correspondence in 1942. He went on to become the first black student at the
University of Witwatersrand, where he studied law, although he never completed the
course.
He joined the “African National Congress” (ANC) which was fighting for self-
determination for a multi-racial society. But when the National Party (NP) came to
power in South Africa in 1948, it introduced a policy of forced separation of races,
which became known around the world as apartheid. By 1952 the ANC was
encouraging protesters to refuse to obey laws which aimed at segregating the races in
everyday life. However, Mandela urged the protesters not to use violence, even if
violence was used against them.
Mandela did not just protest on the streets. With his friend, Oliver Tambo, he opened
a law practice in Johannesburg, and continued to work there through his five-year

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long treason trial which the authorities staged as the ANC became more militant in the
face of harsher and harsher racist laws.
In 1961 Mandela was recognized not guilty but he realized his life had changed. He
went underground and even accepted the need for violent protests, after the massacre
of 69 blacks in Sharpeville.
The military arm of the ANC, the Umkhonto we Sizwe or Spear of the Nation was
formed and Mandela went to Algeria for military training. On his return to South
Africa, he was arrested in August 1962 and sentenced to five years in prison but then,
following the arrest of ANC colleagues at Rivonia, he was tried again for treason and
conspiracy and sentenced to life imprisonment in June 1964.
He spent 18 years on the infamous Robben Island but he never lost touch with the
outside world. His autobiography was written at this time and secretly sent out of
prison, to be published later under the title Long Walk to Freedom. Mandela was
moved to Pollsmoor Prison near Cape Town and finally to Victor Vester prison. By
now, Mandela had become the icon for resistance to apartheid and finally, bowing to
international and domestic pressure, the South African government lifted the ban on
the ANC and released Mandela in February 1990.
In 1993 Mandela and the President of South Africa, De Klerk, won the Nobel Peace
Prize for their efforts to resolve the conflict between races, and in 1994 Mandela
became the new President.

1. According to the text, Nelson Mandela

a. had been exposed to social discrimination since he was a child.
b. understood what racism was when he was sent to prison.
c. became interested in politics when he was at university.

2. The African National Congress (ANC)

a. encouraged black people to fight.
b. wanted Nelson Mandela not to use violence.
c. told black people to disobey segregation laws.

3. According to the text, after 1952 Nelson Mandela

a. stopped participating in demonstrations.
b. started working for a lawyer.
c. had contrasts with the ANC.

4. At the end of his trial in 1961, Nelson Mandela

a. stopped working publicly.
b. was recognized as the ANC leader.
c. encouraged pacific protests.

5. After his return from Algeria, Nelson Mandela

a. spent five years in prison.
b. helped to arrest some of his colleagues.
c. had two trials in two years.

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6. According to the text, Nelson Mandela’s biography was

a. declared illegal by the government.
b. written while he was in prison.
c. written and published after his liberation.

PART 2

The Great Train Robbery - vocabulary

(9)_______________________ who was in jail for another crime revealed most of

their names. By Christmas, most of the robbers had been caught, and in 1964 they
were sent to (10)_______________________ for over 300 years. But some of them
later managed to escape while the others did not have to serve their full
(11)_______________________. As for the money, to this day only a small amount
of it has ever been (12)_______________________.

PART 3

Robo-Cops
Police forces have always used technology to help them combat crime, but as
collecting data and storing it becomes much easier, more and more police forces are
using it to improve crime prevention and therefore to predict crime before it happens.
A Crime prevention software called PredPol helps the police predict where crimes
are likely to occur. The softwave analyses years of data on the location, time and
nature of crimes committed and predicts where and when crime is most likely to occur
in the future. Police officers receive this information on the computers in their cars
and they then spend more time in these areas. As a result, the increased police
presence in these neighbourhoods has cut crime significantly. Crime figures for one
area of Los Angeles, USA, were reduced by 12% in 2011 when police officers used
crime prediction software. In the same year, burglaries were cut by 26% in
Manchester, UK, using the same methods.
B As well as software that predicts crime, companies are also developing technology
that will help police patrols catch criminals before they can leave town. By combining
information such as the places where crimes frequently take place with the routes that

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allow the fastest escape, computers will direct patrols to where they can arrest
criminals.
C However, although the makers of this technology claim it will help reduce crime
rates, some people are not so sure. Not all crime is reported and if the police just focus
on the neighbourhoods where most crime occurs, they will neglect others. Some
experts claim that if police officers just pay attention to the information that has been
stored in their devices, crime rates could actually rise in some areas.

Read the Reading Strategy. Match paragraphs A-C with questions 1-6 below.
Each paragraph may be matched with more than one question.
Which paragraph mentions …

1 the disadvantages of a new technology?

2 successful results from new technology?

3 stopping criminals from getting away?

4 a reduction in UK crime?

5 police ignoring crime in some cases?

6 a possible increases in crime rates?

PART 4

Read the text. Four sentences have been removed. Match missing sentences A-E
with gaps 1-4. There is one extra sentence.

Dying for a selfie

Most of us have taken a selfie at one time or another, be it a photo of ourselves in a

beautiful place, during a performance by our favourite band, or on a memorable night
out with friends. Even monarchs, prime ministers and presidents have been seen in the
news grinning inanely at the screen of a smartphone. 1…………. In several cases, this
action has had disastrous consequences.

Take, for example, the Spaniard who was killed by a bull while he was taking a selfie
during the annual bull run in a village near his hometown. 2…………. Incidents such
as these have led to the death toll from selfie-related incidents reaching double figures
for the first time in 2015, overtaking the number of victims of shark attacks. Most of
the cases involve people taking selfies while posing with animals, or falling from high
places.

Despite the risks, social media is full of pictures, featuring near misses that could have
been fatal under other circumstances. Under the caption ‘Most dangerous selfie ever’,

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a woman posing at a stadium can be seen narrowly avoiding being hit in the head by a
baseball approaching her. 3…………. What is even more worrying, however, is that
the woman herself dares others to better the shot, seemingly overlooking the fact that
by doing so, she is endangering the lives of her ‘friends’ as well.

In response to the increasing threat posed by the selfie, the authorities have started to
take action. National parks, such as the Waterton Canyon in Denver, Colorado, have
closed their gates to visitors who have been getting too close to the bears to get them
in the photo. 4…………. But if instructions like these are really necessary, then
perhaps it is about time we asked ourselves which is more important, a ‘like’ or a life?

A Or the Singaporean tourist who died when he fell from cliffs on the coast of Bali.
B The alternative to taking unnecessary risks is to use Photoshop to create
outrageous pictures.
C The Russian Interior Ministry has launched a public education campaign advising
selfie-takers against balancing on dangerous surfaces or posing with their pets, among
other things.
D But today, more and more people are putting their lives at risk in an attempt to get
the most shocking picture to share on social media.
E Yet the photo has received thousands of ‘likes’, and the comments below it
suggest that this behaviour is something to be admired.

PART 5

You are going to read short texts. For questions 1 to 13 choose the answer (A, B or C),
which fits best according to the texts.

1. The world has let down the people of Syria. The neighbouring nations wage proxy
wars instead of working to prevent the bloodshed. The former UN secretary general,
Kofi Annan, said that in a response to the world crises, the international community
seemed unable to focus on more than one emergency at a time. It had also become
increasingly reluctant to stage military interventions. Annan resigned as UN envoy to
Syria in 2012. He described his role as “mission impossible” due to growing
militarisation and lack of unity among world powers.

According to Kofi Annan, the international community …

A. stages too many military interventions

B. depends too much on the world powers
C. concentrates only on selected problems

2. Ethiopia has become home to one of the world’s fastest-growing higher education
systems. Increasing the number of graduates is a key part of the government’s
industrialisation strategy and its plan to become a middle-income country by 2025.
Since the 1990s, when there were just two public universities, 30 new institutions have
sprung up. On the face of it, this is good news. But dig a little deeper and tales abound

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of students required to join government parties. There are reports of restricted

curricula, classroom spies and crackdowns on student protests.

According to the text, university students in Ethiopia suffer due to …

A. fierce competition among colleges

B. manipulation from the authorities
C. complicated university syllabuses

3. An agreement to improve safety in Bangladesh’s clothing factories is facing the

threat of legal action, as factory owners demand compensation for the cost of closures
and repair work. Some repair programmes are expected to take months. The owners
say they cannot cover the costs of paying staff while factories are closed, alongside
the expense of works needed to ensure buildings are safe. The building overhauls are
being carried out in the wake of the collapse of the Rana Plaza complex in Dhaka, in
which 1,138 people died.

Factory owners have recently announced that they intend to …

A. claim damages for the losses they suffered

B. improve safety in their factory buildings
C. make a lot of their personnel redundant

4. For residents of New Delhi, jogging, cycling and even crossing the road can be a
death-defying feat. In recent days, several homeless people sleeping on the pavement
were run over by New Delhi’s drunken drivers. But in a new initiative called Raahgiri,
meaning “boss of the road” in Hindi slang, people are taking back the streets. This
unique new campaign bans automobiles in the heart of the city for a few hours every
Sunday.

People of New Delhi have launched a campaign which is meant to …

A. give support to homeless people in the city

B. reduce the volume of traffic in the city centre
C. promote sports activities among the residents

5. The 6th Circuit Appellate Court has suspended gay marriages in Michigan. The
suspension contradicts Federal Judge Bernard Friedman’s previous decision to
overturn Michigan’s gay marriage ban as unconstitutional. The appellate court’s
decision came after dozens of gay couples had wed. Same-sex marriage licenses will
not be issued, depending on further review by the Cincinnati court. As for whether the
licenses issued before the suspension will be honoured, “the courts will sort it out,”
spokeswoman for Attorney General Bill Schuette said.

Federal Judge Bernard Friedman has …

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A. suspended the homosexuals’ right to marry

B. annulled the licenses that have been issued
C. removed the ban on single-sex marriages

6. Syrian rebels have issued three demands for the release of Fijian peacekeepers
they’ve held captive for five days, Fiji’s military commander Gen. Tikoitoga has told
the press. He said the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front wants to be taken off the UN
terrorist list. It demands immediate humanitarian aid for Damascus and compensation
for its 3 fighters killed in a shootout with UN officers. Tikoitoga did not say if the
demands would be seriously considered. He said the UN had sent hostage negotiators
to Syria to take over discussions from military leaders.

According to Gen. Tikoitoga, the rebels’ demands …

A. will be satisfied immediately

B. cannot be regarded as serious
C. will be dealt with by experts

7. India’s national radio broadcaster was reported to have fired about 100 presenters
for being over its new age limit of 35. But the reports have been challenged in a
statement by All India Radio. The broadcaster says the story is a misreporting of a
press conference in which it was stated that “radio jockeys” aged over 35 would have
to undergo a “voice modulation test”. This was necessary to “infuse freshness in the
programmes”. The presenters will keep their jobs if the test proves they don’t sound
“too mature and boring”.

From the text we learn that radio presenters in India …

A. are sacked if they are older than thirty-five

B. need to take a test if they are over thirty-five
C. should sound mature if they are over thirty-five

8. For years, the US telecom business has lured clients with discounted phones and
hooked them with two-year contracts and sky-high termination fees. That way
customers can’t easily switch if a better deal appears elsewhere. And although
telecom firms competed to ensure superior quality and technological support, they
didn’t challenge the business fundamentals. But now T-Mobile has announced an
unprecedented offer: if you switch to its service, it will pay your termination fee to
another carrier and give you $300 in credit toward a new phone.

T-Mobile’s new strategy is to …

A. ease clients transition from other cell phone firms

B. bind its new customers by long-term agreements
C. offer technological support to its new customers

9. How can you be sure that the product you’re buying on-line is the real thing?
Counterfeiters are now duping consumers with websites designed to mirror real

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company sites. Sometimes, the phony websites look more elaborate than the actual
ones, attractively presenting a broad range of goods, from luxury handbags to Viagra
pills. Lev Kubiak, head of the Intellectual Property Rights Center, says the best way
to tell a website is real is to “look at the manufacturer’s site. Check where these firms
say their products are distributed,” he says.

The text gives advice on how to …

A. choose luxury products sensibly

B. recognize a reliable online shop
C. make a firm’s website attractive

10. On Monday four Russian bombers entered the Air Defense Identification Zone
(ADIZ). The ADIZ is an international airspace, but when military aircraft enter it, the
U.S. sends fighter jets to get a visual identification. That’s what happened on Monday:
two American F-22 fighter jets went up to observe the Russian aircraft. At some point
the bombers left the ADIZ – two headed towards Russia and the other two headed
south and entered the ADIZ off the California coast. This time they were monitored
by a pair of F-15 fighters. At no time did any of the aircraft enter U.S. airspace. Since
2012 there have been ten such incidents near the California coast.

We learn from the text that …

A. Russian bombers entered the American airspace

B. Russian aircraft followed American fighter jets
C. Russian aircraft have repeatedly entered the ADIZ

11. As states liberalize marijuana laws, some worry that more drivers high on pot will
cause an increase in traffic deaths. Researchers, though, are divided on the question.
Studies show that marijuana can impede decision-making and multitasking, which are
critical driving skills. But unlike with alcohol, drivers high on pot are aware of their
impairment and they avoid risky actions such as overtaking other cars. On the other
hand, combining marijuana with alcohol increases driving impairment beyond the
effects of either substance alone.

According to the text, marijuana …

A. makes people drive with caution

B. causes drivers to take more risks
C. improves certain driving skills

12. Higher demands are being placed on the Finnish military’s cost-reduction
programs. The crisis is driving the Armed Forces Command (AFC) to turn to second-
hand equipment. Five years of cost-cutting have stalled Finland’s defense budget at
US $3.82 billion. It is less than 1.5 percent of gross domestic product, one of the
lowest ratios in the EU. The savings are straining the AFC’s ability to allocate the
customary one-third of its budget to procurement. Thus, the AFC has adjusted its
policy to procure second-hand equipment.

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From the text we learn that Finland has decided to …

A. stop buying military gear

B. purchase used equipment
C. spend more on equipment

13. A U.S. Navy retention survey found that a growing number of sailors want to
leave the service. The respondents complained about increasing operational tempo
and poor work/life balance. The survey also showed a widespread distrust of Navy
leadership. Fewer servicemen aspire to earn their superiors’ positions, because they
don’t look up to them anymore. On the other hand, 80 percent of the respondents said
the current retirement system and pay were the most important reasons to remain in
uniform. Yet, with the ongoing discussions to reduce sailor pay and benefits, the Navy
is likely to lose its most desirable attributes.

According to the survey, more and more sailors complain about …

A. inadequate retirement benefits

B. growing service requirements
C. lack of promotion prospects

ANSWER
PART 1
C, C, B, A, C, B

PART 2
1. gang
2. tip-off
3. banknotes
4. false
5. farmhouse
6. shared
7. evidence
8. fingerprints
9. informer
10. prison
11. sentences
12. recovered

PART 3
1C 2A 3B 4A 5C 6C

PART 4
1D 2A 3E 4C

PART 5
1C 2B 3A 4B 5C 6C 7B 8A 9B 10 C 11 A 12 B
13 B