EXTRA READING EXERCISES

WEEK 1
1. Gap-filling (Table completion)
Exercise 1 Complete the table with ONE word from the passage

Exercise 2 Complete the table with ONE word from the passage
 Exercise 3 Complete the table with ONE word from the passage

Exercise 4
Tacoma Narrows Bridge – Disaster Strikes
A. When the Tacoma Narrows Bridge opened for traffic on 1 July 1940, it was celebrated as
a major engineering achievement. Even before construction was completed, however, flaws
in the design were apparent; workers sucked on lemon slices to avoid motion sickness as the
structure swayed in the relatively mild winds. Engineers tried three different revisions
during construction to address the vibration problem. Shortly after opening, the bridge
quickly acquired the fond nickname of “Galloping Gertie” because of the way it would roll
in either side-to-side or lengthways movements – known in physics terms as the longitudinal
and transverse modes of vibration respectively. These movements did not compromise the
core integrity of the structure but did make the crossing of a somewhat white-knuckle affair.
B. Four months later, however, a never-before-seen type of vibration began afflicting the
bridge in what were still fairly gentle winds (about 40kmph). Rather than the simple “wave”
motion that characterizes longitudinal and transverse vibration, the left side of the bridge
would rise while the right side fell, but the centre line of the road would remain completely
level. This was proved when two men walked along the centre of the bridge completely
unaffected by the rocking motions around them. Visually, the bridge’s movements seemed
to be more like a butterfly flapping its wings than a simple rolling motion. Engineers now
understand this to be the torsional mode of vibration, and it is extremely hard to detect.

Questions 1-3
Complete the table below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer. Write your answers in
blank spaces next to 17-19 on your answer sheet.
Mode of Vibration Description

1……………………… moving repeatedly to the left and right

2……………………… up and down motion; like a wave

Torsional resembling motions of a 3……………….

Exercise 5

A. Shortly after World War II, ‘development’ as we now understand it was set in motion.
Western governments and donors poured money into new agencies that set about trying to
stimulate the economies of underdeveloped countries. Because of this emphasis, it is now
widely regarded as the Growth Model. Although we might expect poverty reduction to be
the central objective, planners at this stage were primarily concerned with industrial
development. It was hoped that the benefits of this would trickle down to poor people
through raising incomes and providing employment opportunities, thereby indirectly lifting
them above the ascribed poverty threshold of a dollar a day. The weaknesses of these
assumptions were revealed, however, when poverty rates and economic growth were found
to rise simultaneously in many countries.

B. During the 1970s, a new trend took over – trickle-up development. Instead of focusing on
macroeconomic policy and large-scale industrial projects, planners shifted attention to the
core living requirements of individuals and communities. This became known as the Basic
Needs Approach to development. It was hoped that through the provision of services such as
community sanitation and literacy programmes, poverty could be eliminated from below.
Economic growth was desirable but superfluous – Basic Needs redefined poverty from
involving a lack of money to lacking the capability to attain full human potential. The
trouble with Basic Needs programmes, however; was their expensive, resource-intensive
nature that entailed continuous management and funding

Questions 1-5
Complete the table below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in blank spaces next to 1-5 on your answer sheet.
Growth Model Basic Needs Approach

1……Industrial development………………..
Typified by small-scale aid such
was the main

Goal 2………poverty
as health and 3…………literacy……….
reduction………………

Poverty described as living Poverty is seen as an inability to

On less than a dollar a day reach 4……human potential…………

Exercise 6
Sculpture

A. In Africa, perhaps more than any other region in the world, three-dimensional artwork is
favoured and given more emphasis than two-dimensional paintings. Whilst some experts
hold that the art of sculpture in the continent dates back to the Nok civilization of Nigeria in
500 BC, this is disputed due to evidence of the art’s existence in Pharaonic Africa. To the
expert eye, African art is clearly defined by the region from which it is from and easily
identifiable from the differences in a technique used and material from which it is made.
Figurines from the West African region are sculpted in two distinctly different forms. The
first is characterized by angular forms and features with elongated bodies, such sculptures
being traditionally used in religious rituals. Conversely, the traditional wood statues of the
Mande speaking culture possess cylindrical arms and legs with broad, flat surfaces. Metal
sculptures that hail from the eastern regions of West Africa are heralded by many as
amongst the most superior art forms ever crafted.
B. Central African sculpture may be a little more difficult to identify for the novice observer
as a wider variety of materials may be used, ranging from wood to ivory, stone or metal.
However, despite tills, the distinct style of usage of smooth lines and circular forms still
helps to define the origin of such works. In both Eastern and Southern Africa, typically, art
depicts a mixture of human and animal features. Art from the former region Is usually
created in the form of a pole carved in human shape and topped with a human or animal
image which has a strong connection with the death, burial, and the spiritual world. Such
creations are less recognized as art in the traditional sense than those from other parts of
Africa. In Southern Africa, the human/animal hybrid representations are fashioned from
clay, the oldest known examples dating back to from between 400 and 600 A.D.

Questions 1-5
Complete the table.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet.

Regional African Art

Region Style Additional Information

Eastern
Subjects similar to the
Africa
1____south_________ area of Less sought-after than other styles of African art.
the country.

Artwork representing human &

Southern
animal form Made from 2____clay____________
Africa

Style 1 Conventionally made for the purpose of

Sharp lines, long bodies 3_____religous rituals___________

Western Style 2
Africa Cylindrical, broad and flat lines Made by Mande speakers
crafted from
4_______wood________

Central Often more difficult to recognise due to the

Smooth lines & circular forms
Africa diversity of 5_______materials______used.

Exercise 7
Nature’s Most Violent Wind
A. Tornados are classified into three levels of intensity; these being weak, strong and
violent. 88% of tornados occurring in the USA are classified into the first category making
them the most common; they account for less than 5% of fatalities resulting from tornado
activity, generally reach wind speeds of less than 177kms/hour and have a duration of
between 1 and 10 minutes before cessation. In contrast, ‘violent’ tornados exceed 330
kilometres per hour, can continue for over an hour and while they account for only 1% of
the incidence of tornados they result in approximately 70% of resultant deaths. The greatest
devastation to date inflicted on the USA by a violent tornado was on March 18th, 1925.
B. The tornado was the longest, fastest and widest tornado known to have formed in North
America and resulted in 695 deaths, an additional 2279 being injured. Now known as the
Tri-state Tornado, it travelled over 350 kilometres affecting 13 counties in the three different
states of Missouri, Illinois and Indiana. Around 11% of tornados are classified as ‘strong’
tornados. These tornados account for slightly more than 25% of tornado-related fatal
accidents and reach mid-range speeds of between 177 and 330 kilometres per hour with an
average duration of around 20 minutes.

Questions 1-5
Complete the table below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS
OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in the blank spaces next to 1-5 on your answer sheet.
Classification Weak Strong Violent
 make make up
make up the smallest
up 1_____88%___ about 2____11%___
Incidence minority of tornados in
____ of tornados in _____ of tornados in
the USA
the USA the USA

between 177 and 330

Wind speed less than 177kms/hr more than 830 kms/hr
kms/hr

can last for 3______1

Lifespan 1-10 minutes 20 minutes
hour________

cause just The most violent

cause less than 5%
over 4_____25%___ example in the USA
Impact of tornado related
______ of tornado was the 5 _Tri-state
deaths
related deaths tornado

Exercise 8

The Birth of Scientific English

A. Across Europe similar academies and societies arose, creating new national traditions of
science. In the initial stages of the scientific revolution, most publications in the national
languages were popular works, encyclopaedias, educational textbooks and translations.
Original science was not done in English until the second half of the 17th century. For
example, Newton published his mathematical treatise, known as the Principia, in Latin, but
published his later work on the properties of light – Opticks – in English. There were several
reasons why original science continued to be written in Latin. The first was simply a matter
of audience. Latin was suitable for an international audience of scholars, whereas English
reached a socially wider, but more local audience. Hence, popular science was written in
English. A second reason for writing in Latin’ may, perversely, have been a concern for
secrecy.
B. Open publication had dangers in putting into the public domain preliminary ideas which
had not yet been fully exploited by their ‘author’. This growing concern about intellectual
property rights was a feature of the period – it reflected both the humanist notion of the
individual, rational scientist who invents and discovers through private intellectual labour,
and the growing connection between original science and commercial exploitation. There
was something of a social distinction between ‘scholars and gentlemen’ who understood
Latin, and men of trade who lacked a classical education. And in the mid-17fh century it
was common practice for mathematicians to keep their discoveries and proofs secret, by
writing them in cipher, in obscure languages, or in private messages deposited in a sealed
box with the Royal Society. Some scientists might have felt more comfortable with Latin
precisely because its audience, though international, was socially restricted.

Questions 1-4
Complete the table.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 1-4 on your answer sheet.
Science written in the first half of the 17th century

Language Latin English

 Type of Science Original 1……………………………

Examples 2………………………….. Encyclopedias

International scholars 3……………………., but

Target audience
4. Socially ……………….. socially wider

WEEK 2

2. Gap-filling (Flow chat completion)

Exercise 1 Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage
for each answer.
Exercise 2
 Question 1-11
Using NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer, complete the table
and the flow chart below.
The required documents:
Evidence of language ability: IELTS 6.5 or (1) ………………………………………….
Evidence of studies: (2) ……………………………………………..
Dutch VWO diploma, or other secondary school diploma
Information about motivation (3) ……………………………………………..with a maximum length of
(4) …………………………………………….
Proof of identity (5)…………………………………………….and passport photo
Other (6) …………………………………………….if originals are in a foreign
language

Exercise 3
Exercise 4
3. YES/ NO / NOT GIVEN
Exercise 0 Write Yes/No/Not Given for each statement
But salt is also an essential element. Without it, life itself would be impossible
since the human body requires the mineral in order to function properly. The
concentration of sodium .ions in the blood is directly related to the regulation
of safe body fluid levels. And while we are all familiar with its many uses in
cooking, we may not be aware that this element is used in some 14,000
commercial applications. From manufacturing pulp and paper to setting dyes in
textiles and fabric, from producing soaps and detergents to making our roads
safe in winter, salt plays an essential part in our daily lives. Salt has a long and
influential role in world history. From the dawn of civilization, it has been a
key factor in economic, religious, social and political development in every
corner of the world, it has been the subject of superstition, folklore, and
warfare, and has even been used as currency.
1. It is possible to live without consuming salt.
2. Sodium ions control body fluid levels.
3. Salt has only culinary uses.
4. Salt deficiency results in diseases.
5. Salt has been used as money.
Exercise 1 Write Yes/No/Not Given for each statement
The ecotourism business is still very much in need of a shake-up and a
standardised approach. There are a few organisations that have sprung up in the
last ten years or so that endeavour to educate travelers and operators about the
benefits of responsible ecotourism. Founded in 1990, the Ecotourism Society
(TES) is a non-profit organization of travel industry, conservation, and
ecological professionals, which aims to make ecotourism a genuine tool for
conservation and sustainable development. Helping to create inherent
economic value in wilderness environments and threatened cultures has
undoubtedly been one of the ecotourism movement’s most notable
achievements. TES organizes an annual initiative to further aid the
development of the ecotourism industry. This year it is launching ‘Your Travel
Choice Makes a Difference’, an educational campaign aimed at helping
consumers understand the potential positive and negative impacts of their
travel decisions. TES also offers guidance on the choice of ecotour and has
established a register of approved ecotourism operators around the world.
1.Over the decade, organisations have been introduced to educate travelers and
visitors about the advantages of ecotourism.
2. Ecotourism business has acquired a strong position in the market.
3. The Ecotourism Society (TES) was first established in 1990 with the
objective of making ecotourism a genuinely used tool for conservation and
substantial development.
4. TES guides the travelers on the choice of their ecotours and sponsors them.
5. An educational campaign was introduced by TES to make the tourists
understand the negative and positive impacts of their travel decisions.

Exercise 2 Write Yes/No/Not Given for each statement

In Australia, the University of Sydney’s Professor Ian Caterson says while
major genetic defects may be rare, many people probably have minor genetic
variations that combine to dictate the weight and are responsible for things
such as how much we eat, the amount of exercise we do and the amount of
energy we need. When you add up all these little variations, the result is that
some people are genetically predisposed to putting on weight. He says while
the fast/slow metabolism debate may have been settled, that doesn’t mean
some other subtle change in the metabolism gene won’t be found in overweight
people. He is confident that science will, eventually, be able to ‘cure’ some
forms of obesity. Still, the only effective way for the vast majority of
overweight and obese people to lose weight is a change of diet and an increase
in exercise.
1.Dr Susan Jebb said that the genetic defects for obesity may be rare.
2. Some people are genetically liable to putting on weight.
3. Caterson believed that science will help in curing some of the obesity forms.
4. Obese people often try to deny their responsibility.
5. One of the most effective ways to lose weight is to exercise daily, and follow
a healthy-eating plan.

Exercise 3 Write Yes/No/Not Given for each statement

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.
1. Seed varieties from almost 100 crops will be spread out at the Svalbard
vault.
2. There can be a collection of almost 4.5 million known crop seed varieties in
the Svalbard vault.
3. The wheat seeds aren’t suitable to be stored in the Svalbard vault.
4. At the -18°C temperature, the wheat seeds will remain feasible for almost
1700 years approximately.
5. At the entrance of the Svalbard vault, the temperature is 10C which is further
pushed down to 15C when the seeds are kept.

WEEK 3
3. YES/ NO/ NOT GIVEN (cont.)
Exercise 4 Write Yes/No/Not Given for each statement
Humans and monkeys are mammals, in the animal family known as primates.
These are not the only animals whose numerical capacities rely on ratio. The
same seems to apply to some amphibians. Psychologist Claudia Uller’s team
tempted salamanders with two sets of fruit flies held in clear tubes. In a series
of trials, the researchers noted which tube the salamanders scampered towards,
reasoning that if they could recognize the number, they would head for the
larger number. The salamanders successfully discriminated between tubes
containing 8 and 16 flies respectively, but not between 3 and 4. 4 and 6, or 8
and 12. So it seems that for the salamanders to discriminate between two
numbers, the larger must be at least twice as big as the smaller. However, they
could differentiate between 2 and 3 flies and between 1 and 2 flies, suggesting
they recognize small numbers differently from larger numbers.
1. Primates are the only animals whose numerical capacities rely on ratio.
2. Salamanders were tempted by two sets of fruit flies by Claudia Uller and the
researchers.
3. It was very difficult for Claudia Uller’s team to recognize the scampered
salamanders in the tube.
4. Salamanders could easily discriminate between the tubes containing 8 and
12 flies.
5. The researchers gave a final reason that the salamanders could discriminate
between two numbers in which the larger number must be twice as big as the
smaller number.

Exercise 5 Write Yes/No/Not Given for each statement

The concept of indoor farming is not new since hothouse production of
tomatoes and other produce has been in vogue for some time. What is new is
the urgent need to scale up this technology to accommodate another three
billion people. Many believe an entirely new approach to indoor farming is
needed, employing cutting-edge technologies. One such proposal is for the
“Vertical Farm”. These are multi-story buildings in which food crops are
grown in environmentally controlled conditions. Situated in the heart of urban
centres, they would drastically reduce the amount of transportation required to
bring food to consumers. Vertical farms would need to be efficient, cheap to
construct, and safe to operate. If successfully implemented, proponents claim,
vertical farms offer the promise of urban renewal, sustainable production of
safe and varied food supply (through year-round production of all crops), and
the eventual repair of ecosystems that have been sacrificed for horizontal
farming.
1. Vertical farm technology will accommodate the production for another three
billion people – No.
2. Vertical farming is proposed by people as a part of a new approach to indoor
farming.
3. Vertical farming technologies face economic challenges with large start-up
costs compared to traditional farms.
4. Vertical farming would reduce the use of transportation required to carry
food items to the consumers.
5. With the implementation of vertical farms, there will be a reliable
production of safe and varied food supplies.

Exercise 6 Write Yes/No/Not Given for each statement

According to Professor Martin Seligman, probably the world’s leading figure
in this field, happiness could be but a train ride – and a couple of
questionnaires – away. It was Seligman, a psychologist from Pennsylvania
University, who kick-started the happiness science movement with a speech he
made as President of the American Psychological Association (APA). Why,
asked Seligman, shocking delegates at an APA conference, does science only
investigate suffering? Why not look into what steps increase happiness, even
for those who are not depressed, rather than simply seek to assuage pain? For a
less well-known scientist, the speech could have spelled the end of a career, but
instead, Seligman landed funding of almost £18m to follow his hunch. He has
been in regular contact with hundreds of other researchers and practicing
psychologists around the world, all the while conducting polls and devising
strategies for increasing happiness.

1. Martin Seligman was the president of the American Psychological

Association (APA).
2. Seligman considered happiness as a train ride.
3. After startling the delegates with his speech, Seligman’s career came to an
end.
4. The delegates in the APA replied to Seligman that the artists better handle
happiness.
5. Seligman lost contact with the psychologists and started conducting polls
alone and devising strategies to increase happiness.

Exercise 7 Write Yes/No/Not Given for each statement

Adults and children are frequently confronted with statements about the
alarming rate of loss of tropical rainforests. For example, one graphic
illustration to which children might readily relate is the estimate that rainforests
are being destroyed at a rate equivalent to one thousand football fields every
forty minutes – about the duration of a normal classroom period. In the face of
the frequent and often vivid media coverage, it is likely that children will have
formed ideas about rainforests – what and where they are, why they are
important, what endangers them – independent of any formal tuition. It is also
possible that some of these ideas will be mistaken. Many studies have shown
that children harbor misconceptions about ‘pure’, curriculum science. These
misconceptions do not remain isolated but become incorporated into a
multifaceted, but organized, conceptual framework, making it and the
component ideas, some of which are erroneous, more robust but also accessible
to modification. These ideas may be developed by children absorbing ideas
through the popular media. Sometimes this information may be erroneous. It
seems schools may not be providing an opportunity for children to re-express
their ideas and so have them tested and refined by teachers and their peers.
1. Adults and students aren’t aware of the topics related to the loss of tropical
rainforests.
2. According to the passage, the duration of one classroom period is forty
minutes which is equivalent to the estimated number of rainforests being
destroyed.
3. Children have formed illustrations about the rainforests through vivid media
coverage.
4. Ideas developed by the children about the rainforests are always accurate
and precise.
5. Students might ask the schools to allow them to re-express their ideas.

Exercise 8 Write Yes/No/Not Given for each statement

It is commonly thought that A.D.D. only affects children, and that they grow
out of the condition once they reach adolescence. It is now known that this is
often not the case. Left undiagnosed or untreated, children with all forms of
A.DD. risk a lifetime of failure to relate effectively to others at home, school,
college, and work. This brings significant emotional disturbances into play and
is very likely to negatively affect self-esteem. Fortunately, early identification
of the problem, together with appropriate treatment, makes it possible for many
victims to overcome the substantial obstacles that A.D.D. places in the way of
successful learning. One approximately 15% of A.D.H.D. children do,
however, have learning disabilities.
1. Children with Attention Deficit Disorder (A.D.D) usually improve once they
become teenagers.
2. Untreated A.D.D in children can lead to significant problems at home,
school, college, and work.
3. Attention Deficit Disorder (A.D.D) is a neurobiological problem that affects
3-5% of all children.
4. Early recognition of A.D.D and effective treatment will help children
overcome the A.D.D obstacles.
5. Children with A.D.H.D have learning disabilities.

Exercise 9 Write Yes/No/Not Given for each statement

Half a billion people in Asia and Africa depend on bananas. Bananas provide
the largest source of calories and are eaten daily. Its name is synonymous with
food. But the day of reckoning may be coming for the Cavendish and its
indigenous kin. Another fungal disease, black Sigatoka, has become a global
epidemic since its first appearance in Fiji in 1963. Left to itself, black Sigatoka,
which causes brown wounds on leaves and premature fruit ripening – cuts fruit
yields by 50 to 70 percent and reduces the productive lifetime of banana plants
from 30 years to as little as 2 or 3. Commercial growers keep Sigatoka at bay
by a massive chemical assault. Forty sprayings of fungicide a year is typical.
But despite the fungicides, diseases such as black Sigatoka are getting more
and more difficult to control. “As soon as you bring in a new fungicide, they
develop resistance,” says Frison. “One thing we can be sure of is that the
Sigatoka won’t lose in this battle.” Poor farmers, who cannot afford chemicals,
have it even worse. They can do little more than watch their plants die. “Most
of the banana fields in Amazonia have already been destroyed by the disease,”
says Luadir Gasparotto, Brazil’s leading banana pathologist with the
government research agency EMBRAPA. Production is likely to fall by 70
percent as the disease spreads, he predicts. The only option will be to find a
new variety.
1. Bananas are among the most commonly consumed fruits in Asia and Africa.
2. Black Sigatoka is a common leaf-spot disease in banana plants caused by
Fungus Mycosphaerella fijiensis.
3. Due to the Black Sigatoka, banana plants’ lifetime decreases from 30 years
to 2 or 3 years.
4. Frison says that the banana fields in Amazonia have been affected by the
black Sigatoka.
5. According to Luadir’s predictions, if the black Sigatoka spreads, production
will drop down by 70%

Exercise 10 Write Yes/No/Not Given for each statement

Nature is abundant with sweet foodstuffs, the most common naturally
occurring substance being fructose, which is found in almost all fruits and
berries and is the main component of honey. Of course, once eaten, all foods
provide one or more of the three basic food components – protein, fat, and
carbohydrate – which eventually break down (if and when required) to supply
the body with the essential sugar glucose. Nature also supplies us with sucrose,
a naturally occurring sugar within the sugar cane plant, which was discovered
and exploited many centuries BC. Sucrose breaks down into glucose within the
body. Nowadays, this white sugar is the food industry standard taste for sugar –
the benchmark against which all other sweet tastes are measured. In the U.S.A.
a number of foods, and especially soft drinks, are commonly sweetened with
High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), derived from corn starch by a process
developed in the late 1960s. And man has further added to nature’s repertoire
by developing a dozen or so artificial sweetening agents that are considered
harmless, non-active chemicals with the additional property of sweetness to
cater to his sweet tooth.
1. Fructose is the main constituent of honey and is present in almost all fruits
and berries.
2. Sucrose is known as table sugar and chemically consists of glucose &
fructose.
3. Sucrose is a common form of sugar found in the sugarcane plant, which was
earlier discovered and exploited.
4. Artificial sweeteners developed by man are considered to be harmful as they
consist of active chemicals.
5. High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is a sweetener made from corn starch
which is commonly used in soft drinks.

WEEK 4
4. Matching features
EXERCISE 1
 Is it time to halt the rising tide of plastic packaging?

A. Concern over plastic packaging has produced a squall of conflicting

initiatives from retailers, manufacturers, and local authorities. It’s a squall that
dies down and then blows harder from one month to the next. ‘It is being left to
the individual conscience and supermarkets playing the market,’ says Tim Lang,
a professor specializing in food polio’. ‘It’s a mess.’ Dick Scarle of the
Packaging Federation points out that societies without sophisticated packaging
lose all their food before it reaches consumers and that in the UK, waste in
supply chains is about 3 per cent. In India, it is more than 50 per cent. The
difference comes later: the British throw out 30 percent of the food they buy –
an environmental cost in terms of emissions equivalent to a fifth of the cars on
their roads. Packagers agree that cardboard, metals, and glass all have their
good points, but there’s nothing quite like plastic. With more than 20 families of
polymers to choose from and then sometimes blend, packaging designers and
manufacturers have a limitless variety of qualities to play with.
B. One store commissioned a study to find precise data on which had a less
environmental impact: selling apples loose or ready-wrapped. Helene Roberts,
head of packaging, explains that in fact, they found apples in fours on a tray
covered by plastic film needed 27 per cent less packaging in transportation than
those sold loose. Steve Kelsey, a packaging designer, finds die debate
frustrating. He argues that the hunger to do something quickly is diverting effort
away from more complicated questions about how you truly alter supply chains.
Rather than further reducing the weight of a plastic bottle, more thought should
be given to how packaging can be recycled.

Questions 1-4
Look at the following statements (Questions 1-4) and the list of people below.
Match each statement to the correct person A-D.
Write the correct letter, A-D in boxes 1-4 on your answer sheet.
NB You may use any letter more than once.

1. A comparison of two approaches to packaging revealed an interesting

result.
2. People are expected to do the right thing.
3. Most packaged foods reach UK shops in good condition.
4. Complex issues are ignored in the search for speedy solutions.
People

A. Tim Lang
B. Dick Scarle
C. Helene Roberts
D. Steve Kelsey
EXERCISE 2

How bugs hitch-hike across the galaxy

A. On the apparently dead lunar surface, a colony of bacteria was thriving. The
organisms were not native to the Moon but were visitors from Earth who had
hitch-hiked a ride onboard one of Nasa’s five Surveyor probes from the 1960s.
To the astonishment of biologists, between 50 and 100 Streptococcus bacteria
survived the journey across space, at an average temperature 20 degrees above
absolute zero with no source of energy or water, and stayed alive on the Moon
in a camera for three years. Captain Conrad, who returned the bacteria to
Earth, was later to confess: ‘I always thought the most significant thing we
ever found on the whole Moon was the little bacteria that came back and
lived’. Beagle’s heat shield doubled as its biological shield. So once the
instruments were encased and sealed, the craft could be brought back into the
real world. The shield heated up to 1,700 degrees on its descent through the
Martian atmosphere, so bugs on the casing were not a worry. Mars Express –
the craft carrying Beagle – did not need sterilising. Its trajectory was designed
so that if something went wrong, the craft would not simply crash into the
planet. Its course could be corrected enroute.
B. Eventually, space scientists hope to return samples of Mars to Earth. While
the risks of alien bacteria proving hazardous on Earth may be remote, the rocks
will still need to be quarantined. Moon rocks from Apollo were analysed in
vacuum glove boxes for the first two missions. Later, researchers stored rocks
in nitrogen. Prof Pillinger believed the first Mars rocks should be sterilised
before they are studied on Earth. ‘For security purposes, it would be the most
sensible thing to do. You don’t have to sterilise it all, you can contain some of
it and then sterilise the sample you want to look at, but it would lower the risk
and make it easier to analyse.’

Questions 1-4
Look at the statements (Questions 1—4) arid the list of spacecraft below.
Match each statement with the spacecraft it applies to.
Write the correct letter A-E in boxes 1-4 on your answer sheet.

1. provided transport from Earth tor bacteria

2. was created so that there could be no bacteria on the outer structure
3. was capable of changing direction in the event of a problem
4. brought material which was kept in more than one kind of container
List of Spacecraft
A Apollo craft
B Surveyor probe
C Galileo probe
D Beagle 2
E Mars Express

EXERCISE 3

Problems With Water

A. Nearly half the world’s population will experience critical water shortages
by 2025, according to the United Nations (UN). Wars over access to water are
a rising possibility in this century and the main conflicts in Africa during the
next 25 years could be over this most precious of commodities, as countries
fight for access to scarce resources. “Potential water wars are likely in areas
where rivers and lakes are shared by more than one country,” says Mark
Evans, a UN worker. Evans predicts that “population growth and economic
development will lead to nearly one in two people in Africa living in countries
facing water scarcity or what is known as ‘water stress’ within 25 years.”
How to deal with water shortages is in the forefront of the battle between
environment activists on the one hand and governments and construction firon
the other. At the recent World Summit on Sustainable Development in
Johannesburg activists continued their campaign to halt dam construction,
while many governments were outraged about a vocal minority thwarting their
plans.One of the UN’s eight millennium development goals is to halve the
proportion of people without “sustainable” access to safe drinking water by
2015. How to ensure this happens was one of the big issues of the summit.
Much of the text on this was already agreed, but one of the unresolved issues
in the implementation plan was whether the goal on water would be extended
to cover sanitation. The risks posed by water-borne diseases in the absence of
sanitation facilities means the two goals are closely related. Only US
negotiators have been resisting the extension of goals to include sanitation due
to the financial commitment this would entail. However, Evans says the US is
about to agree to this extension. This agreement could give the UN a chance to
show that in one key area the world development agenda was advanced in
Johannesburg. But the UN has said Johannesburg was not about words alone,
but implementation.
B. A number of projects and funding initiatives were unveiled at the summit.
But implementation is always harder, as South Africa has experienced in its
water programme. Graham Bennetts, a water official in the South African
government explains: “Since the 1994 elections the government has provided
easy access to water to 7 million people, but extending this to a further 7
million and ensuring this progress is sustainable is one of South Africa’s
foremost implementation challenges.” In South Africa, access to water is
defined as 25 litres a person daily, within a distance of 200m from where they
 live. “Although South Africa’s feat far exceeds the UN millennium goal on
water supply, severe constraints on local government capacity make a more
rapid expansion difficult,” says Bennetts. For some of those who have only
recently been given ready access to water, their gains are under threat as the
number of cut-offs by municipalities for non-payment rise, says Liane Greef of
the Environmental Monitoring Group. Greef is programme manager for Water
Justice in southern Africa. Those who have their water supply cut off also
automatically forfeit their right to 6000 free litres of water for a family a
month under South Africa’s “water for all” policy. In the face of continued
increases in unemployment, payment for water and other utilities has the
potential to fast undo government’s high profile feats in delivery since 1994. It
is also the way of ensuring sufficient water supply and its management that
will increasingly become a political battleground in South Africa. Water
Affairs director-general Mike Muller says South Africa is near the end of its
dam-building programme.

Questions 1 – 5
Match the views with the people listed below.

1. South Africa has almost completed its plans for building dams.
2. Local government has excluded some South African households from
getting free water for not meeting their bills.
3. The World Summit in Johannesburg will soon have its aims on hygiene
agreed among all participants.
4. Faster development of water supply in South Africa is limited by the
facilities of community administrations.

EXERCISE 4

A. Keystone, an American-based research company reported. In 2005, one

computer became obsolete for every new one introduced in the die market. By
the year 2010, experts estimate that in the USA there will be over 500 million
obsolete computers. Most of these computers will be destined for landfills,
incinerators or hazardous waste exports.’ Old, outdated keyboards, monitors and
hard drives all combine to produce what is now widely known as ‘e-waste’ and
the way to appropriately dispose of them is proving to be a challenge. In an
effort to explore other alternatives, landfills have been tried, Studies have
shown, however, that even the best landfills are not completely safe, In feet, the
shortcomings of dealing with waste via modern landfills are well documented.
According to Phil Stevenson, managing director of CleanCo, a recycling plant
in the UK, ‘Everyone knows that landfills leak – it has become common
knowledge. Even the best, state-of-the-art landfills are not completely tight
throughout their lifetimes, to one degree or another, a certain amount of
 chemical and metal leaching occurs.

B. The situation is far worse for older or less stringent dump sites. If
uncontrolled fires are allowed to burn through these landfill areas, other toxic
chemicals such as lead and cadmium are released. In the USA for
example, Datatek, a research company, estimated that it was 12 times cheaper to
ship old computer monitors to China than it was to recycle them. Data on the
prevalence of this activity is scarce due to past bad publicity and dealers of e-
scrap not bothering to determine the final destination of the products they sell in
1989 the world community established the Basel Convention on the
Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Waste for final Disposal to stop the
industrialized nations of the OECD from dumping their waste on and in less-
developed countries.

Questions 1-4
Look at the following list of statements (Questions 1-4) and the list of
companies below.
Match each statement with the correct company.
Write the correct letter A-D in boxes 1-4 on your answer sheet.
NB You may use any letter more than once.
1 waste sites without strict dumping rules lead to big problems
2 e-waste should be relocated to other countries
3 most old computers will be buried or burned
4 it is impossible to contain metal waste in soil
List of companies
A Noranda Smelter
B Datatek
C Keystone
D CleanCo

EXERCISE 5

Children’s Literature

A. By the middle of the 18th century there were enough eager child readers,
and enough parents glad to cater to this interest, for publishers to specialize in
children’s books whose first aim was pleasure rather than education or
morality. In Britain, a London merchant named Thomas Boreham produced
Cajanus, The Swedish Giant in 1742, while the more famous John Newbery
published A Little Pretty Pocket Book in 1744. Its contents – rhymes, stories,
children’s games plus a free gift (‘A ball and a pincushion’)——in many
ways anticipated the similar lucky-dip contents of children’s annuals this
 century. It is a tribute to Newbery’s flair that he hit upon a winning formula
quite so quickly, to be pirated almost immediately in America. Such pleasing
levity was not to last. Influenced by Rousseau, whose Emile(1762) decreed
that all books for children save Robinson Crusoe were a dangerous diversion,
contemporary critics saw to it that children’s literature should be instructive
and uplifting. Prominent among such voices was Mrs. Sarah Trimmer, whose
magazine The Guardian of Education (1802) carried the first regular reviews
of children’s books. It was she who condemned fairy-tales for their violence
and general absurdity; her own stories, Fabulous Histories (1786) described
talking animals who were always models of sense and decorum.
B. So the moral story for children was always threatened from within, given
the way children have of drawing out entertainment from the sternest
moralist. But the greatest blow to the improving children’s book was to come
from an unlikely source indeed: early 19th century interest in folklore. Both
nursery rhymes, selected by James Orchard Halliwell for a folklore society in
1842, and collection of fairy-stories by the scholarly Grimm brothers, swiftly
translated into English in 1823,soon rocket to popularity with the young,
quickly leading to new editions, each one more child-centered than the last.
From now on younger children could expect stories written for their
particular interest and with the needs of their own limited experience of life
kept well to the fore.

Questions 1-3
Look at the following people and the list of statements below.
Match each person with the correct statement.
Write the correct letter A-E in boxes 1-3 on your answer sheet.
People

1. Thomas Boreham
2. Mrs. Sarah trimmer
3. Grimm Brothers
EXERCSE 6
WEEK 5
5. Multiple choice question
Exercise 1

Read the text and answer the questions below.

Is violence innate?
In 1983, archaeologists in southern Germany discovered a mass grave containing
34 skeletons. They included 9 adult males, 7 adult females and 16 children.
All of the skeletons showed signs of fatal trauma, including head wounds. None of
them showed any signs of defensive wounds, suggesting they were killed whilst
running away.
The "Talheim Death Pit" dates from the Stone Age, around 7,000 years ago. It
offers some of the oldest evidence of organised group violence between two
communities: that is, of war.
Clearly, humans have been fighting wars for thousands of years, and we may not
be the only ones. There is growing evidence that several other species also engage in
warfare, including our closest relatives the chimpanzees.
That suggests we have inherited our predilection for warfare from our ape-like
ancestors. But not everyone agrees that warfare is inbuilt.

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

What did archaeologists in southern Germany discover? Show hint
Remains of 34 dead animals
Graveyard containing 34 skeletons
Relics of early civilization
9 adult males, 7 adult females and 16 children

Why did scientists suggested that those people were killed whilst running
away? Show hint
Their skeletons showed signs of fatal trauma
There were 16 children
During that period organised group violence was very frequent
Their skeletons didn't show any signs of defensive wounds

Why do human beings fight, according to the article? Show hint

Because they have been fighting wars for thousands of years
Because chimpanzees, who are humans' closest relatives, engage in warfare
Because humans inherited predilection for warfare from their ape-like ancestors
Because fighting is their inbuilt instinct

Which of the following phrases best describes the main aim of the Reading
Passage? Show hint
To describe fighting among different species
To intoduce principles of contemporary archaeology and its application
To introduce some relics of humans' warfare for further discussion whether
violence is innate or not
To suggest ways of interperting humans' violence
Exercise 2
Read the text and answer the questions below.
August 1985: The worst month for air disasters
There are many grim landmarks in the history of aviation. One in particular stands
out. Three decades ago, 720 travellers and crew lost their lives on board commercial
aircraft in a single month - more than in any other before or since.
The deaths occurred in four separate accidents in August 1985. Each disaster had
quite different causes. The aircraft involved ranged from a 747 with hundreds on
board to a tiny twin engine turboprop carrying just eight people.
There was Japan Air Lines flight 123, the worst single-aircraft accident in history, in
which 520 of 524 on board were killed. A further 137 died when Delta flight 191
flew into heavy winds as it approached Dallas-Fort Worth International. A fire on
board British Airtours flight 28M at Manchester Airport led to 55 deaths. And all
those on board the smallest aircraft, Bar Harbor Airlines flight 1808, lost their lives
as it flew into a small airport in Maine, USA.
Each, in their own way, had a lasting legacy, whether in the memories of those left
bereaved or in changes in technology and procedure introduced as a direct result. The
worst death toll was on Japan Air Lines Flight 123, a Boeing 747, which was en route
from Tokyo to Osaka on 12 August 1985 when the airtight bulkhead between its
cabin and tail tore open. The change in pressure blew off the vertical stabiliser, or tail
fin. It also destroyed the hydraulic systems. The plane lurched up and down.
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
When did the 720 travellers die? Show hint
Thirteen decades ago.
A few decades ago.
30 years ago.
There is no information about it.

Twin engine turboprop could carry: Show hint

Eight people.
Four people.
Two people.
Only a pilot.

The worst accident in history, according to the paragraph, was: Show hint
Flight 123.
Delta flight 191.
British Airtours flight 28M.
Bar Harbor Airlines flight 1808.

Why did the Japan Air Lines Flight 123 crashed? Show hint
The change in pressure blew off the vertical stabiliser.
Destruction of the hydraulic systems.
The airtight bulkhead between its cabin and tail tore open.
It is unknown.
Exercise 3
Read the text and answer the questions below.
Why does coffee shoot out of the lid of your cup?
You're running late for work and you've purchased your coffee in a hurry. Just as you
arrive at the office, a jet of hot liquid escapes from the tiny hole in the lid, leaving
you with hot beverage residue on your clothes before the day has really started.
TThis is exactly what happened to Rob Kaczmarek after buying a cup of his favourite
caffeinated drink. The marketing director at Convergent Science was intrigued by
why the coffee shoots out so far and therefore set about modelling this, initially as a
joke for those who enjoy a bit of computational fluid dynamics. It's the design of the
lid that's the problem, he explains.
"It happens because of the sloshing of the coffee against the lid, which is kind of
unique. At the end of the lid, the hole is right up above that. As the coffee sloshes
against the end of the lid, that velocity is amplified and it splashes up through the
actual hole."
Not all coffee cups are designed with a hole, of course. Some have lids with a tiny
hole and others peel back to reveal a much larger gap, which offsets the shooting jets
of hot liquid.

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

What accident might occur at work in the morning, after you bought coffee? Show
hint
You spill it all over the place accidently.
You get burns from the hot coffee.
You contaminate your clothes with it.
Nothing out of ordinary.

Rob Kaczmarek explains to us that: Show hint

The coffee shoots out very far.
He sat his experiment as a joke.
He was really intrigued by spilling the coffee.
Coffee spils because of the design of the lid.

The main reason coffee spils is: Show hint

Velocity.
Sloshing.
Design of the cup.
It is not stated.

This text might be classified as: Show hint

Scientific.
Humorous.
Fictional.
Romantic.
Exercise 4
The general assumption is that older workers are paid more in spite of, rather than
because of, their productivity. That might partly explain why, when employers are
under pressure to cut costs, they persuade a 55-year old to take early retirement. Take
away seniority-based pay scales, and older workers may become a much more
attractive employment proposition. But most employers and many workers are
uncomfortable with the idea of reducing someone’s pay in later life – although
manual workers on piece-rates often earn less as they get older. So retaining the
services of older workers may mean employing them in different ways. One
innovation was devised by IBM Belgium. Faced with the need to cut staff costs, and
having decided to concentrate cuts on 55 to 60-year olds, IBM set up a separate
company called Skill Team, which re-employed any of the early retired who wanted
to go on working up to the age of 60. An employee who joined Skill Team at the age
of 55 on a five-year contract would work for 58% of his time, over the full period, for
88% of his last IBM salary. The company offered services to IBM, thus allowing it to
retain access to some of the intellectual capital it would otherwise have lost. The best
way to tempt the old to go on working may be to build on such ‘bridge’ jobs: part-
time or temporary employment that creates a more gradual transition from full-time
work to retirement. Studies have found that, in the United States, nearly half of all
men and women who had been in full-time jobs in middle age moved into such
‘bridge’ jobs at the end of their working lives. In general, it is the best-paid and
worst-paid who carry on working. There seem to be two very different types of
bridge job-holder – those who continue working because they have to and those who
continue working because they want to, even though they could afford to retire. If
the job market grows more flexible, the old may find more jobs that suit them. Often,
they will be self-employed. Sometimes, they may start their own businesses: a study
by David Storey of Warwick University found that in Britain 70% of businesses
started by people over 55 survived, compared with an overall national average of
only 19%. But whatever pattern of employment they choose, in the coming years the
skills of these ‘grey workers’ will have to be increasingly acknowledged and
rewarded

Questions 1 – 4 Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

Write the correct letter in boxes 1-4 on your answer sheet.
1 In paragraph one, the writer suggests that companies could consider
A abolishing pay schemes that are based on age.
B avoiding pay that is based on piece-rates.
C increasing pay for older workers.
D equipping older workers with new skills.
2 Skill Team is an example of a company which
A offers older workers increases in salary.
B allows people to continue working for as long as they want.
C allows the expertise of older workers to be put to use.
D treats older and younger workers equally.
3 According to the writer, ‘bridge’ jobs
A tend to attract people in middle-salary ranges.
B are better paid than some full-time jobs.
C originated in the United States.
D appeal to distinct groups of older workers.
4 David Storey’s study found that
A people demand more from their work as they get older.
B older people are good at running their own businesses.
C an increasing number of old people are self-employed.
D few young people have their own businesses.

Exercise 5