@dsatuz - Reading Marathon Aslanov's

30 DAY
READING
MARATHON
LEVEL 1
@SUCCESSLC
@ASLANOVS_LESSONS
@SUCCESSMARATHONS
WAY TO IELTS SUCCESS – THE 30-DAY IELTS READING MARATHON
DAY 1 TEXT 1 – BEES (MULTIPLE CHOICE)
Worker bees are between 8-19 mm in length. They are divided into three distinct parts; head, thorax, abdomen.
They have an almost completely black head, a thorax that is golden brown and black with patches of orange,
and yellow bands can be easily seen on the abdomen. At the front of the head are two antennae for sensing their
environment.
They have four single wings. The largest are called forewings and the smallest hindwings. The hind legs are
specialized for collecting pollen - each leg is flattened to form a pollen basket near the end of each leg.
Love them or hate them, we need bees to pollinate many important food crops, including most fruit and
vegetables. Bee-pollinated crops are important sources of vitamins A and C, and minerals like calcium. By
pollinating attractive wildflowers like bluebells and poppies, bees also help support the natural environment
that people love – benefitting us culturally and economically, as well as ecologically. Calculations from the
University of Reading show that £510 million of annual total crop sales in the UK are pollinated by bees and
other insects.
What would happen if there were suddenly no more bees to pollinate these crops? This is a question being
asked by farmers, beekeepers, and scientists because bees are now dying in their millions and they want to
know why.
It’s widely recognised now that changes in agriculture are the main cause of bee decline across Europe. For
example, hay meadows, which are full of many different plant species, have declined by 97 per cent since the
1930s, removing an important source of food for bees.
This has happened because of the trend towards growing the same crop (monocultures) over large fields. This
has reduced the diversity of flowers available and resulted in the removal of hedges. Species that have more
specialised food needs, like the Shrill Carder Bee, have been particularly hard hit. It is now listed as an
endangered species.
With less hedges, bees find it more difficult to move between feeding and nesting sites. This is because hedges
act as corridors for bees to move along, but with less hedges movement becomes more difficult.
Pests and diseases are also a major threat to honey bees and other managed bees. The Varroa mite is thought to
be one of the main causes of native honeybee loss. The impact on wild bees is harder to assess but ‘spill-over’
of diseases and pests between wild and managed bees has increasingly been observed.
Climate change has an effect as it can alter the timing of plant flowering or the time that bees come out of
hibernation, which means bees may emerge before there is enough food available.
Aslanovs_Lessons PDFbooksyouneed
TASK 1. TRANSLATE THE PASSAGE INTO YOUR NATIVE LANGUAGE.
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TASK 2. NOW DO MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS.
Questions 1-4
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
1. Apart from pollinating crops how else do bees help us?

A. economically
B. culturally
C. ecologically
D. all of the above
2. Why has the variety of flowers available for bees to pollinate fallen?
A. conservation measures
B. less hedges
C. fertilizers
D. urban development
3. There are many reasons for the decline in bees but what is one of the major reasons for shrinking
numbers of native honey bees?
A. Varroa mites
B. spill-over
C. managed bees
D. hard to assess
4. Why might bees end their hibernation at a different time?

A. to pollinate more flowers
B. to get more food
C. climate change
D. to emerge with other bees
DAY 1 TEXT 2 – MISSION TO MARS (MULTIPLE CHOICE)
2011 Mars One Founded. In 2011 Bas Lansdorp and Arno Wielders lay the foundation of the Mars One
mission plan. Discussion meetings are held with potential suppliers of aerospace components in the USA,
Canada, Italy and the United Kingdom. Mission architecture, budgets and timelines are solidified from the
feedback of supplier engineers and business developers. A baseline design for a mission of permanent human
settlement on Mars achievable with existing technology is the result.
2013 Start Crew Selection. In April 2013, the Astronaut Selection Program is launched at press conferences in
New York and Shanghai. Round One is an online application open to all nationalities. The selection program
proceeds with three additional rounds over the course of two years. At the end of it, around six teams of four
individuals are selected for training. A new batch of the Astronaut Selection Program begins every year to
replenish the training pool regularly. An analogue of the Mars habitat is constructed on Earth for technology
testing and training purposes.
2015 Start of Crew Training. Selected candidates from the first batch of applicants enter full-time training
groups. This training continues until the launch in 2024. The group’s ability to deal with prolonged periods of
time in a remote location is the most important part of their training. They learn to repair components of the
habitat and rover, learn to grow their own food, and train in medical procedures. The first outpost simulation, a
Mars-like terrain that is relatively easy to reach, is chosen. A second training outpost is located at a more
remote environment like the Arctic desert.
2018 Demo and Comsat Mission. A Demonstration Mission is launched to Mars in May 2018; it provides
proof of concept for some of the technologies that are important for a human mission. A communication
satellite is also launched that is placed into a Mars stationary orbit. It enables 24/7 communication between the
two planets. It can relay images, videos and other data from the Mars surface.
2020 Rover Mission Launched. One intelligent rover and one trailer are launched. The rover can use the
trailer to transport the landers to the outpost location. On Mars, the rover drives around the chosen region to
find the best location for the settlement. An ideal location for the settlement is far enough north for the soil to
contain enough water, equatorial enough for maximum solar power and flat enough to facilitate construction of
the settlement. When the settlement location is determined, the rover prepares the surface for arrival of the
cargo missions. It also clears large areas where solar panels will lie. A second communications satellite is
launched into orbit around the Sun.
2022 Cargo Missions Launched. Six cargo missions are launched and two living units, two life support
systems, and two supply units are sent to Mars in July 2022. In February 2023 all units land on Mars, using a
rover signal as a beacon.
2023 Outpost Operational. The six cargo units land on Mars, up to 10 km away from the outpost. The rover
picks up the first life support unit, using the trailer, rakes it to the right place, and deploys the thin film solar
panel of the life support unit. The rover can now connect to the life support unit to recharge its batteries much
faster than using only its own panels, allowing it to do much more work. The rover picks up all the other cargo
units and then deploys the thin film solar panel of the second life support unit and the inflatable sections of the
living units. The life support unit is connected to the living units by a hose that can transport water, air and
electricity. The life support system is now activated. The rover feeds Martian soil into the life support system.
Water is extracted from the Martian soil by evaporating the subsurface ice particles in an oven. The evaporated
water is condensed back to its liquid state and stored. Part of the water is used for producing oxygen. Nitrogen
and argon, filtered from the Martian atmosphere, make up the other components of the breathable air inside the
habitat.
2024 Departure Crew One. In April 2024, the components of the Mars transit vehicle are launched to Earth
orbit on receiving the green light on the status of the systems on Mars. First, a transit habitat and a Mars lander
with an assembly crew on-board are launched into an orbit around the Earth. The assembly crew docks the
Mars lander to the transit habitat. Two propellant stages are launched a month later arid are also connected. The
first Mars crew, now fully trained, is launched into the same Earth orbit. In orbit the Mars One crew switches
places with the assembly crew, who descend back to Earth. Engines of the propellant stages are fired, and the
transit vehicle is launched on a Mars transit trajectory. This is the point of no return; the crew is now bound to a
210-day flight to Mars.
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Questions 1-4
1. What is the plan to have a permanent human settlement on Mars based on?
A. new technology
B. new and old technology
C. existing technology
D. recent technology
2. How is the ideal site for the settlement found?

A. GPS
B. rover
C. the settlers
D. some luck
3. After the outpost is operational, how does the rover recharge its batteries?
A. from the living units
B. from the life support unit
C. from its own solar panels
D. from the cargo units
4. Where does oxygen come from?

A. Nitrogen and argon
B. water
C. Martian atmosphere
D. the support system
DAY 1 TEXT 3 – THE BODY SHOP (MULTIPLE CHOICE)
The Body Shop International PLC, known as The Body Shop, has a range consisting of 1,200 products,
including cosmetics and make-up in its 2,500 franchised stores in 611 countries.
The company, which has its international headquarters in Littlehampton,West Sussex, England, was
founded in 1976 by Anita Roddick and is now part owned by parent company L'Oréal corporate group.
In 1970 Anita visited “The Body Shop” in California. It was part of a car repair shop and they sold
naturally-scented soaps and lotions. In 1976, Anita opened a similar shop in the UK, using the same
business name.
From its first launch in the UK in 1976, The Body Shop experienced rapid growth, expanding at a rate of
50 percent annually.
The opening of Roddick's first modest shop received early attention when the Brighton newspaper, The
Evening Argus, carried an article about an undertaker with a nearby store who complained about the use
of the name "The Body Shop."
In March 2006, The Body Shop agreed to a £652.3 million takeover by L'Oréal. It was reported that Anita
and Gordon Roddick, who set up The Body Shop 30 years previously, made £130 million from the sale.
The Body Shop turned increasingly toward social and environmental campaigns to promote its business in
the late 1980s. In 1997, Roddick launched a global campaign to raise self-esteem in women and against
the media stereotyping of women. It focused on unreasonably skinny models in the context of rising
numbers suffering from bulimia and anorexia.
Following her death in 2007, Prime Minister Gordon Brown paid tribute to Dame Anita, calling her "one of
the country's true pioneers" and an "inspiration" to businesswomen. He said: "She campaigned for green
issues for many years before it became fashionable to do so and inspired millions to the cause by bringing
sustainable products to a mass market. She will be remembered not only as a great campaigner but also
as a great entrepreneur."
In October 2009, The Body Shop was awarded a 'Lifetime Achievement Award' by the RSPCA in Britain,
in recognition of its uncompromised policy which ensures ingredients are not tested on animals by its
suppliers.
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Questions 1-6
1. Who owns the company now?

A. Anita Roddick and her parents.
B. Body Shop and L’Oréal.
C. L’Oréal.
2. How did Anita Roddick decide on the name “The Body Shop”?
A. The name came to her in a dream.
B. She copied the name from an undertaker.
C. She took the name from a store in America.
3. What happened three decades after launching “The Body Shop”?
A. They retired.
B. They bought L’Oréal.
C. They accepted a takeover bid by L’Oréal.
4. How did “The Body Shop” promote itself?
A. by stereotyping women
B. socially
C. through environmental and social issues
5. What did Anita do about very skinny models?
A. She gave them some food.
B. She tried to empower women around the world.
C. They started to work for her.
6. What did Gordon Brown say about Anita Roddick?

A. She was a pioneer for environmental issues.
B. She was very fashionable.
C. She made the mass market sustainable.
DAY 2 TEXT 1 – COFFEE (MULTIPLE CHOICE)
It is not really known when the very first cup of coffee was drunk but there are written records from the 10th
century that mention two Arabian philosophers who drank a dark, bitter beverage. At the time it was called
bunchum. Before that it seems that the effects of coffee were well known to warriors in Ethiopa as far back as
the 6th century. They would grind the coffee beans into a powder and then mix it with ghee, a kind of clarified
butter, and eat it before going into battle. It is generally thought that coffee originates from the forested
highlands of Ethiopa and then spread to North Africa, Arabia, and Turkey.
The favorite bedtime story about the origin of coffee goes like this: Once upon a time in the land of Arabia
there lived a goat herder named Kaldi. One night, Kaldi's goats failed to come home, and in the morning he
found them dancing with abandoned glee near a shiny, dark-leafed shrub with red berries. Kaldi soon
determined that it was the red berries that caused the goats' eccentric behavior, and soon he was dancing too.
Finally, a learned imam saw the goats dancing, Kaldi dancing, and the shiny, dark-leafed shrub with the red
berries. The learned imam subjected the red berries to various experiments, one of which involved boiling them
in water. Soon, neither the imam nor his fellows fell asleep at prayers, and the use of coffee spread from
monastery to monastery, throughout Arabia and from there to the rest of the world.
The coffeehouse culture really took off in these areas in the 16th century and became so important that in
Turkey not giving your wife enough coffee to drink was seen as a good reason for divorce. Around this time
coffee began to spread around the world but to maintain a monopoly all exported coffee beans had to be boiled
or partially roasted to prevent other counties from growing them. However, in the 17th century an Indian
pilgrim – a Sufi – called Baba Budan managed to smuggle a few coffee beans out of Arabia and into India. He
then established a coffee plantation in the Mysore region of India that still exists today. As of 2009, India
produced only 4.5% of the world’s coffee but this translates into 8,200 tons of coffee beans per year and an
industry that supports more than 250,000 coffee growers.
Although the first coffee house opened in Venice in 1683, coffee had been available since 1608 but was seen as
a luxury by all but the very rich. Coffeehouses quickly established a reputation as the place to be seen and a
popular meeting place for political debate. The French revolutionists discussed the fate of the bourgeoisie in
coffeehouses and if it were not for coffee the founding fathers of the United States of America may never have
formed their national policies as they too met in coffeehouses. In seventeenth-century England, coffeehouses
were often called penny universities where, for the price of three pennies (entry and a cup of coffee), you could
mix with famous scholars and participate in lively discussions. Later, in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries,
European and American intellectuals spent more time in coffeehouses than they did at home.
When you compare a typical 16th century breakfast in England of beer and herring with coffee, eggs and bread
in the 19th century one might be forgiven for thinking that it must have been coffee that fuelled the start of the
industrial revolution. The coffee bean is in fact a seed and comes from a small red (sometimes yellow) fruit that
grows on plants halfway in size between a shrub and a tree. The fruit most commonly contains two stones with
their flat sides together. A small percentage, about 10% -15% contain a single seed, and this is called a
peaberry. Many people believe that they have more flavor than the more common two stone variety.
The two most economically important varieties of coffee plant in the world are the Arabica and the Robusta;
75-80% of the coffee produced worldwide is Arabica and 20% is Robusta. Arabica seeds consist of 0.8-1.4%
caffeine and Robusta seeds consist of 1.7-4% caffeine. As coffee is one of the world's most widely consumed
beverages, coffee seeds are a major cash crop, and an important export product, counting for over 50% of
some developing nations' foreign exchange earnings. The United States imports more coffee than any other
nation. The average per capita consumption of coffee in the United States in 2011 was 4.24 kg and the value of
coffee imported exceeded $8 billion.
The process that turns these seeds into a beverage is a long and complex process, perhaps the most complex
process associated with any major beverage. It starts with the coffee grower, moves to the picker, then to the
mill workers who remove the fruit and dry the seeds, then to those who clean and grade the beans, to those who
roast them, to the consumers and baristas who finally grind the beans and prepare the beverage.
Every act along the way affects the final taste. Each part of the process can be performed either with passion or
with carelessness. The final cup of coffee can, therefore, end up tasting like ditch water or be like nectar that
raises your senses to an almost spiritual level of awareness.
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Questions 1-4
1. How did Arabia maintain their monopoly of coffee?

A. They never exported the beans
B. They boiled the beans
C. They only sold coffee powder
D. They roasted the beans
2. Why was coffee slow to spread through Europe when first introduced?
A. It was seen as an expensive luxury
B. Political reasons
C. There were no coffeehouses
D. It had a bad reputation
3. What were coffeehouses in England also known as?

A. home
B. places for intellectuals
C. cheap places to go
D. penny universities
4. What was a typical breakfast in England in the 16th century?

A. herrings, beer, and coffee
B. beer, bread, and eggs
C. herrings and beer
D. eggs, beer, and herrings
DAY 2 TEXT 2 – LEISURE TIME IN AMERICA (MULTIPLE CHOICE)
As most Americans will tell you if you can stop them long enough to ask, working people in the United
States are as busy as ever. Sure, technology and competition are boosting the economy; but nearly everyone
thinks they have increased the demands on people at home and in the workplace. But is the overworked
American a creature of myth?
A pair of economists have looked closely at how Americans actually spend their time. Mark Aguiar, at
the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and Erik Hurst, at the University of Chicago's Graduate School of
Business constructed four different measures of leisure. The narrowest includes only activities that nearly
everyone considers relaxing or fun; the broadest counts anything that is not related to a paying job,
housework or errands as "leisure". No matter how the two economists slice the data, Americans seem to
have much more free time than before.
Over the past four decades, depending on which of their measures one uses, the amount of time that
working-age Americans are devoting to leisure activities has risen by 4-8 hours a week. For somebody
working 40 hours a week, that is equivalent to 5-10 weeks of extra holiday a year. Nearly every category of
American has more spare time: single or married, with or without children, both men and women.
Americans may put in longer hours at the office than other countries, but that is because average hours in
the workplace in other rich countries have dropped sharply.
How then have Messrs Aguiar and Hurst uncovered a more relaxed America, where leisure has actually
increased? It is partly to do with the definition of work, and partly to do with the data they base their
research upon. Most American labour studies rely on well-known official surveys, such as those collected by
the Bureau of Labour Statistics (BLS) and the Census Bureau, that concentrate on paid work. These are good
at gleaning trends in factories and offices, but they give only a murky impression of how Americans use the
rest of their time. Messrs Aguiar and Hurst think that the hours spent at your employer's are too narrow a
definition of work. Americans also spend lots of time shopping, cooking, running errands and keeping
house. These chores are among the main reasons why people say they are so overstretched, especially
working women with children.
However, Messrs Aguiar and Hurst show that Americans actually spend much less time doing them than
they did 40 years ago. There has been a revolution in the household economy. Appliances, home delivery,
the internet, 24-hour shopping, and more varied and affordable domestic services have increased flexibility
and freed up people's time.
The data for Messrs Aguiar and Hurst's study comes from time-use diaries that American social scientists have
been collecting methodically, once a decade, since 1965. These diaries ask people to give detailed information
on everything they did the day before, and for how long they did it. The beauty of such surveys, which are also
collected in Australia and many European countries, is that they cover the whole day, not just the time at work,
and they also have a built-in accuracy check, since they must always account for every hour of the day.
Do the numbers add up? One thing missing in Messrs Aguiar's and Hurst's work is that they have
deliberately ignored the biggest leisure-gainers in the population, the growing number of retired folk. The
two economists excluded anyone who has reached 65 years old, as well as anyone under that age who retired
early. So America's true leisure boom is even bigger than their estimate.
The biggest theoretical problem with time diaries is "multi-tasking". Do you measure the time you
spend cleaning your house while listening to portable music as "leisure" or "work"? This problem may be
exaggerated: usually people seem to combine two work activities, using a laptop computer on a plane, or two
leisure ones, watching television and doing something else. The two economists counted many
combinations of work and leisure, such as reading a novel while commuting or goofing off on the internet at
the office, as time spent working.
Is all this leisure a good thing? Some part-time workers might well wish they had less leisure and more
income. For most Americans, however, the leisure dividend appears to be a bonus. Using average hourly
wages after tax, Steven Davis, a colleague of Mr Hurst's, reckons that the national value of five extra hours of
leisure per week is $570 billion, or $3,300 per worker, every year.
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Questions 1-4
Choose the correct letter, A, B, or C.
1. Americans seem to spend more time in the office than people in other rich countries
A. because of the increase in Americans leisure time
B. because of a decrease in leisure time in the other rich countries
C. because of a decrease in office time in the other rich countries
2. One problem with data from the BLS is that

A it is unclear about out of work time
B it is limited to factories and offices
C it does not include leisure time
3. Time-use diaries
A. are only available in America and Australia
B. are the most accurate time use measurement tool
C. provide data for 24 hours of each day
4. Aguiar and Hurst counted multi-tasking activities of leisure and work

A as free time
B as work time
C as neither free time or work time
DAY 2 TEXT 3 – THE GENERATION LANGUAGE GAP (MULTIPLE CHOICE)
As America changes, the English language changes, too. Some words have vanished and others have appeared
to replace them. Words and phrases that mean completely different things. This was illustrated pretty vividly a
couple of days ago when we were having our daily budget meeting - that’s the meeting when we decide which
stories will go on which pages the next day.
Naturally, we’ve joined the Internet age. We offer morning, afternoon and late afternoon updates as well as
Twitter alerts. Since you can use only so many words in a Twitter message, we try to “Twitter” a story that’s
especially important. We have to find something that is “tweet worthy.” Managing Editor Samantha Perry
wondered how we would have reacted just a few years ago if any of us had suggested that a story was “tweet
worthy.” My guess is that person would have gotten a lot of stares.
Then sports writer Tom Bone remarked that a World War II soldier who had just come home would think
that we’re all a bit nutty if he overheard us complaining about the spam in our mailbox. We think of messages
while the soldier thinks of hundreds of rectangular cans of Spam overflowing the kind of mailbox we see along
the side of the road; in fact, I think a Vietnam soldier from back in the 1960s would have the same vision. Who
could imagine that a name for canned meat could become a word that means electronic junk mail?
Terms like PC, Internet and laptop are fairly new, too. Folks who suddenly time traveled here from 30 or 40
years in the past wouldn’t understand what we were talking about. To them, a virus is only something that
makes you sick. Complaining that your computer has a virus would earn you some stares. A “pop up” would be
something that comes from a toaster and a “tweet” would be that sound a bird makes. Frankly, our language
wouldn’t make much sense.
Even my favorite literary character, Sherlock Holmes, is used in a creative way. If somebody makes a painfully
obvious observation - somebody comes into your house soaking wet and you deduce that it’s raining outside -
your observation is likely to be greeted with something like “No kidding, Sherlock.” Coping with this new,
growing vocabulary isn’t easy. Sometimes I try to use new words and, again, get stares. Reporter Kate Coil told
us the story of an aunt who thought LOL, Laugh Out Loud, meant Lots of Love. She commented on a web page
about a relative who had died of cancer, ending her message with LOL.
Naturally, a younger person interpreted this a bit differently. “Dude, you aunt is harsh!” he told his friend. This
generation language gap was harsh on me when I tried the teaching profession. A few years ago I was teaching
English Composition at a Virginia high school, and my kids often didn’t understand my vocabulary. Another
teacher told me that I often “spoke over the head” of the students. Frankly, I thought they had a pretty poor
vocabulary. Most of them rarely read anything longer than a text message - another term I wouldn’t have
understood 20 years ago - so their vocabulary is pretty limited.
I’m not the only person who has these feelings. I sometimes visit YouTube and watch programs like “The
Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.” Naturally, fellow Holmes fans and myself will comment about the shows and
talk about related subjects. One time we started lamenting the fact that our language seems downright crude
compared to the flowing phrases used in Victorian England.
I said that Holmes and his friend and colleague, Dr. Watson, might as well be speaking Russian as far as my
students were concerned. However, one person argued that kids’ vocabularies are more about English changing
than decaying. They have different priorities and different needs, so they need new words to go with them. I’m
fine with that as long as I don’t get compositions written in texting language, a habit that dropped more than
one grade under my control. I insist on real words, not text slang or text abbreviations.
My students thought I was harsh.
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Questions 1-6
1. At the budget meetings the publishing team

A. discuss the impact of the Internet on their business
B. joke about the way language is changing
C. talk about how to organise their content
2. Tom Bone thinks that World War II soldiers
A. would probably disapprove of the use of the term SPAM
B. would be happy to receive 'spam' in their mail box
C. would think the people of today to be a bit crazy
3. The reporter Kate Coil
A. tells a funny story
B. gives an example of how young people can misinterpret language
C. describes how her aunt misinterpreted LOL.
4. When teaching English composition
A. the writer's colleague was impressed with the writer's teaching
B. the writer's students were not interested in learning
C. the writer perhaps used the wrong kind of language
5. The writer feels that
A. Victorian English was more sophisticated than today's English
B. young people could learn a lot from Victorian English
C. in some ways Victorian English was more effective than today's English
6. Some people believe that
A. the English used by young people reflects changing times
B. the English language is being decayed by young people
C. young people prefer to use a simpler language
DAY 3 TEXT 1 – DETOXIFY THE MIND (MULTIPLE CHOICE)
The new year is traditionally a time when people reflect on the past year and make plans for the future. It
provides a perfect opportunity to make meaningful changes which can improve our mental health – or “detoxify
the mind”, as some describe it. This process can help us to draw a line under the difficulties faced in the
previous year and start the new year afresh. The central idea behind detoxifying the mind is to actively
challenge the negative thoughts - or “cognitions” that build up and affect the way we view ourselves and our
lives. It encourages people to look back and learn from their experiences and then move forward in their lives.
Some people are more susceptible to viewing things in a negative way than others, but everyone can benefit
from taking steps to free themselves of the past hurts and worries that continue to live with them. Remember
that it’s normal to be upset sometimes and to have difficulty with aspects of your life. But normal troubles
become toxic when they dominate your thoughts, preventing you from making the most of the opportunities
you are presented with.
There are several steps individuals can take to help themselves. One way is to look back over the past year and
write down the things that happened that were troublesome or upsetting, the events that caused you adversity.
Try to recall the worries you had. Look at the list. Rather than focusing on the negative aspects of the problems,
how did you cope with them? What could you have done differently and what did you do that was good? When
there were problems, or you found it difficult to deal with something, what ways could you have reframed the
situation to make it easier to deal with?
There are bound to be some events that were out of your control, but what is central to this method is
developing the understanding that there are helpful and unhelpful ways to react to most situations. How you
choose to react to adversity is what is important - much more than what actually happened. Now make a list of
all the things that went well for you last year. Don’t just rely on your memory, particularly if you’ve had a
difficult year, as you will fail to recall many good events. Systematically look back over diaries or calendars.
Note down achievements, things you did that you enjoyed, that made you happy and brought happiness to
others around you. Accept that some things were difficult, but admit that there were good times too. Try to
learn from the difficulties and how you coped with them, rather than letting them cast a shadow over the next
year.
Make your New Year’s resolution something positive - aim to start or do something new, rather than give
something up. I’m a great fan of volunteering. It can provide structure, as well as getting you out of the house to
meet new people. It also challenges you in unexpected and different ways and can give you a tremendous sense
of self-worth. Learn something new and boost your confidence by showing yourself what you are capable of
achieving when you put your mind to it. Remember that looking after your physical health will have a direct
impact on your mental health. Eating well and exercising are important but so is avoiding alcohol, which is a
depressant, particularly if you are prone to low moods. In the short term, alcohol may well provide respite from
negative feelings, but in the long term, it only makes them worse.
People often have emotional baggage which impacts on their day-to-day functioning, but which they can do
little about because it’s in the past. A difficult childhood or resentment over the way a relationship ended, for
example, can easily become something that defines someone, rather than being just a difficult or upsetting
episode that they can move on from. If you find yourself bogged down by negative thoughts and emotions and
battle with low mood, remember that depression is a treatable condition and is not your fault. Ask for help - this
isn’t being weak; it’s taking a positive step to taking back control of your life. Your GP can help by referring
you for talking therapy, such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). There are a number of good books
available which can help reframe the way you think about situations and help you tackle problems. Mind Over
Mood: Change How You Feel by Changing the Way You Think, by Christine Padesky and Dennis
Greenberger, is an excellent and very popular self-help manual based on the CBT model, with the aim of
helping you think more positively. For baby-boomers, there is a great guide in making the most of life called
Too Young to Get Old by Christine Webber. So good luck and have a happy and healthy new year.
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Questions 1-6
1. 'Detoxing' the mind

A. helps people to learn from their past
B. is the starting point for planning for the future
C. makes it easier to forget bad experiences
2. The time to get concerned about your problems is
A. when the problem starts to occur
B. when they fill your mind
C. when they guide your thinking
3. When reflecting on negative situations, the writer suggests asking yourself
A. why they happened to you
B. who was really responsible for them
C. how you could have thought about them differently
4. Volunteering can be useful because it
A. takes your mind off your problems
B. allows you to discover yourself
C. is a great way to make new friends
5. Regarding emotional baggage,
A. there is little we can do about it
B. it needs to be treated day by day
C. it should not grow out of proportion
6. CBT is
A. a treatment for people with depression
B. a therapy for people with negative thoughts
C. is available to anyone with negative thoughts
DAY 2 TEXT 2 – BODY LANGUAGE AT WORK (MULTIPLE CHOICE)
News of the world's largest experiment to investigate telepathy last week set staff tongues wagging. How
wonderful it would be to know what Sandra in accounts really thinks of Susan in systems, and what's behind
the faux niceness of Rachel at reception.
But while mind-reading is a skill we're unlikely to use in the office, the ability to read people's bodies is not so
unfathomable. Understanding Body Language In A Week, published this month by The Institute of
Management, aims to show how body language in the workplace betrays your true attitudes, hints at what
others really think and can help you become a more effective communicator.
The existence of a body language speaks for itself through the statistics. Less than 10% of the messages we
communicate occur through our speech; a surprising 40% are conveyed by our tone of voice and 50% simply
from our gestures. This is the claim of the book's authors, Geoff Ribbens and Richard Thompson, who say that
"communication without body language would be like writing without punctuation." Such an analogy may ring
true for the bumbling fools among us, who can't get the gist of how to conduct a good office relationship with
our peers. While Ribbens and Thompson argue that our ability to interpret others' behaviour is inherent, they
acknowledge that not everyone knows how to use that 90% of unspoken communication for the best.
For the growing number of support staff, the art of body language is a talent worth nurturing. With technology
liberating them from the more time-consuming chores, PAs and secretaries are able to pursue more social
responsibilities - managing staff, attending meetings and handling clients. But to milk these social settings, their
body language has to say "confident and capable" - otherwise they will amount to no more than wasted
opportunities.
Judi James, business consultant and author of Body Talk: The Skills of Positive Image, offers some advice to
the shy secretary. "In America, PAs will give out business cards as a matter of course, but if I suggest this in the
UK it tends to provoke nervous laughter," she says. "People in support roles in this country are terrified that
being assertive will be misinterpreted as arrogance, which it won't."
Recognising that the nation's confidence is somewhat lacking, an increasing number of British organisations are
encouraging staff to learn how to use body language to communicate better. "I don't like to portray body
language as a bag of tricks, but in terms of marketing yourself more effectively at work, there are tips that make
a massive amount of difference," says James. "Always enter offices and meeting rooms confidently, as if you're
meant to be there. It's amazing how many people have difficulty going up to someone and confidently shaking
their hand with just enough eye contact to make them realise you're worth speaking to. Once you've made that
initial impact you can probably afford to let it drop a little during the meeting, but that first impression is really
important. Always avoid tiptoeing into meetings looking apologetic and trying to be invisible. It looks awful
and - although it isn't fair - people will probably question your credibility, however brilliant you might be at
your job."
James cautions against being too reticent with our bodies. "If you have to approach a senior colleague at their
desk, try to do so with as much purpose as possible. Many people find it very irritating to have someone lurking
at their desk, timidly waiting to speak to them, and it can get your conversation off on the wrong foot. I think
you can afford to move with a degree of authority without looking like the young pretender." It can also help to
slightly mirror the other person's body language, although obviously it pays to judge this sensitively.
But let's not kid ourselves too much with all these career-furthering intentions. The really appealing thing about
analysing body language is the idea of interpreting other people's behaviour. From now on, never believe a
colleague who has a habit of rubbing his eyes or touching his nose. He is lying, according to the gospel of body
language, and should not be trusted.
All of which doesn't bode well for poor unfortunates struck down with conjunctivitis or for those who can't
resist fingering a snotty nose. The authors' get-out clause for this little discrepancy is to argue that "it is seldom
one gesture or posture, but a combination of body signals that convey the clues. It is also important to put the
body language in context."
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Questions 1-6
1. Geoff Ribbens and Richard Thompson state that

A. we understand about half of other people's body language
B. a significant portion of a message is delivered through intonation
C. the major part of any message is sent through our body language
2. More technology means
A. staff are using their body language less effectively
B. some staff have developed more confidence
C. admin staff carry out more people-related tasks
3. James believes that
A. PAs in America are more confident than in the UK
B. PAs in the UK are arrogant
C. PAs in America are concerned about appearing to be arrogant
4. James believes there is much to be gained from
A. maintaining strong body language throughout a meeting
B. making a high level of eye contact
C. entering a meeting with confidence
5. When addressing senior staff, James thinks
A. you should use your body language to show the required level of respect
B. you should always try to mirror their body language
C. you should not be too timid
6. When attempting to interpret body language, we should remember
A. that it is not difficult to misinterpret the meaning
B. that a single gesture often tells us all we need to know
C. to pay more attention to facial gestures
DAY 3 TEXT 3 – THE LISTENING GAME (MULTIPLE CHOICE)
A SIMPLE computer program that teaches children to distinguish between sounds can dramatically boost their
listening skills. It can allow them to progress by the equivalent of 2 years in just a few weeks, the game's
creator claims.
The game, called Phonomena, was devised by David Moore of the University of Oxford as an aid for children
with language problems, but he says his latest trials also show that it can help any child. Other experts,
however, are reserving judgement until independent tests are carried out.
Phonomena is designed to improve children's ability to distinguish between different phonemes, the basic
sounds that form the building blocks of language. Up to a fifth of all children are thought to have problems
hearing the differences between some sounds, says Moore, who heads the UK Medical Research Council's
Institute of Hearing Research.
In the game, children have to distinguish between pairs of phonemes such as the "i" sound from the word "bit"
and the "e" from "bet". They are played one phoneme followed by two more examples, and asked which one
matches the first sound. As the game progresses the phonemes are gradually "morphed" to make them more and
more similar, making it increasingly difficult to distinguish between them. With 49 phonemes in English, there
are potentially more than 1000 different pairs, but the game concentrates on just 22 pairs of the commonest and
most similar-sounding phonemes.
In the latest trials, 18 children aged between 8 and 10 played the game three times a week for 3 weeks. Their
language abilities were compared before and after exposure to the game using a standard listening test. The
team found a dramatic improvement in their language abilities, with listening ages up by an average 2.4 years
compared with 12 children who did not play the game. In earlier trials on children with learning difficulties, the
speech and language therapists who tested the game reported similar improvements.
Tedd Wragg, however, an expert in education at the UK's University of Exeter, warns that such trials can
produce misleading results. The improvements could be due to the efforts and attention of teachers and
therapists, rather than the game itself. There is a history in education of people and companies making claims
about learning products that do not stand up to scrutiny, he says.
Moore says independent tests will be done. But he is convinced that computer games such as Phonomena that
are designed to teach key sensory skills could make a big difference in education. Even normal computer games
have been shown to improve visual skills, he points out. "In the future, every child's dream of homework
consisting of hours spent playing computer games may well become a reality."
It's a bit like teaching someone to catch a ball, Moore adds. "Sensory performance is no different from motor
performance. As far as we know, the neural processes driving them both are the same." What is more,
just as playing catch improves hand-eye coordination in other tasks, Moore thinks the phoneme training
boosts children's general language skills. The advantage of using computers, he says, is each game can be
tailored to a child's abilities.
An Oxford-based company called MindWeavers has been set up to commercialise the game. Similar
computer-based language tools already exist, such as those developed by Scientific Learning of Oakland,
California. But these are geared exclusively towards children with speech and language problems and
involve intensive training. "We don't believe you need to do this draconian amount of training for it to do
good," says Moore. He is also exploring the use of phoneme training as an aid to adults learning a foreign
language.
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Questions 1-4
1. In the game of Phonomena children are required to choose between

A. vowel sounds that have similar pronunciation
B. thousands of different sounds
C. complicated sounds which are not common in real words
2. During the most recent tests, the researchers noticed
A. a dramatic improvements in the language ability of children aged between 8 and 10
B. a modest improvement in children with learning difficulties
C. an increase of about 2.4 years in the listening age of children with learning difficulties.
3. Tedd Wragg says that the recent test results
A. will lead to more interesting results in the future
B. should be viewed with a degree of scepticism
C. are a credit to the hard work of teachers and therapists
4. Moore thinks that computer games
A. are mainly useful in improving children’s visual skills
B. could play a bigger role in children’s homework in the future
C. will force children to spend more time in front computers
DAY 4 TEXT 1 – ETHICAL VOLUNTEERING OVERSEAS (MULTIPLE CHOICE)
In recent years, concern has grown that some organisations are failing to meet the expectations of overseas
volunteers and that volunteers themselves have not thought through what their placement will involve.
'Volunteers frequently feel let down by the experiences that they have in their host environments,' says the
charity Tourism Concern. 'Many of those who volunteer do not necessarily understand that they will be
involved in development work or what the implications of that are for themselves and the host communities.'
So, before you sign a contract or hand over any money, spend time working out what you want from your
overseas volunteering assignment and be realistic about how to achieve this. Questions to ask yourself
For many people, volunteering overseas is a life-changing experience, but a successful placement can only
come from matching what you want and can offer with what actually needs to be done. Ethical volunteering
is about ensuring the contribution you make is meaningful to the host community and has a lasting, positive
impact.
So, start by asking yourself the basics. Why do you want to volunteer overseas? What existing skills and
experience do you have to offer already? Consider the practicalities - do you really want to spend months away
from your family and friends? Are you prepared to spend time in a country which might not have the
infrastructure and amenities you're used to? And are you able to cope with the cost? See our article on finding
an opportunity overseas for more information. Once you have worked out what you have to offer, you are better
placed to judge whether your contribution overseas will be meaningful and worthwhile. It's also worth asking
yourself whether you have fully considered the options available closer to home. There are many ways to make
a difference that don't first require a 12-hour flight and sometimes it can be better to volunteer at home and be a
tourist overseas.
Choosing an ethical organization. It's easy to assume that if you are volunteering then you're bound to be
doing good, but that isn't necessarily the case. For example, by offering to work for free, you might even be
taking away a job from a local person. A good organisation will ensure that it works in partnership with local
communities to ensure volunteers only provide a service a community genuinely needs. Ethical Volunteering
has put together a list of seven questions to help you pick an ethical overseas volunteering placement:
1. Exactly what work will you be doing? Can the organisation provide you with a brief job description? 2. Does
the organisation work with any local partner organisations? 3. Does the organisation make any financial
contribution to its volunteer programmes? If so exactly how much, minus any payments for food and
accommodation for volunteers, is this contribution? 4. Does the organisation have any policies on eco and
ethical tourism practices, and if so what are these and how are they implemented? 5. What time frame is the
volunteer programme run on? How long has the programme been running and what are the plans for the future?
6. Can the organisation give you precise contact details for your chosen programme? 7. What support and
training will you receive?
Further detail about these questions is available in an Ethical Volunteering leaflet. Travelling far from home,
especially to a developing country, may spark other questions. For example, if the country has an oppressive
government, what is the organisation's attitude towards it and relationship with it? Carbon emissions from
flying contribute to global warming - what is the attitude of the organization towards this? These are tough
questions with no easy answers. A good organisation should welcome questions and be ready with some
options.
Know before you go. If possible, meet a representative of an organisation face-to-face before signing up to a
placement. You should also ask them if you can be put in touch with other volunteers - either those still
overseas of some who have recently returned. You can meet people yourself through Facebook, Twitter and
new volunteering network i-volunteer. Some organisations, like VSO, have their own online communities
where you can ask questions and seek advice. Of course, everyone will have different experiences and one
person, is unlikely to persuade you either way. But other volunteers can at least give you a feel for what the
placement is like and suggest some further questions you might want to ask the organisation. The web is also
your friend when it comes to digging for information on your chosen organisation – check out review sites like
www.gapyearreview.co.uk. Time spent researching before you make a decision about whether or where to go is
definitely worthwhile, and reputable organisations should welcome your enquiries. Volunteering overseas
frequently requires significant cost and commitment. And it can go wrong, so never be shy of asking what
might seem difficult or obvious questions.
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Questions 1-6
1. Many volunteers feel

A. they could have contributed more by the end of their placement
B. disappointed with the experience
C. certain about what their involvement will be
2. A successful placement will mainly depend on
A. the questions a volunteer asks themselves
B. how much experience the volunteer has
C. how useful the volunteers skills are for the tasks ahead
3. People who offer to work for no pay
A. are always welcome
B. may be doing more harm than good
C. can often approach the local community directly
4. When choosing an ethical organisation, you should ask
A. about the period of time the volunteer scheme has been operating
B. what contribution the local partner makes to the scheme
C. about their views on the local tourist industry
5. A representative of the organisation should be able
A. to direct you to their Facebook page
B. to meet with you in person
C. to introduce you to other volunteers
6. Other volunteers
A. will be able to answer most of your questions
B. share views on some reputable websites
C. can give you a feel for the cost and commitment required
DAY 4 TEXT 2 – DAWN OF THE AGE OF THE ROBOT (MULTIPLE CHOICE)
The robots are coming. The second decade of the 21st century will see the rise of a mechanised army that
will revolutionise private and public life just as radically as the internet and social media have shaken up the
past 10 years. Or so says Marina Gorbis, futurologist and head of Californian thinktank The Institute for the
Future. The IFTF is one of the world's most venerable thinktanks and has been plotting the course of the future
for corporate and government clients since it was spun off from the RAND Corporation in 1968. Gorbis says
robots will increasingly dominate everything from the way we fight wars to our work lives and even how we
organise our kitchens.
Robots are likely to prompt a political storm to equal the row over immigration as they increasingly replace
workers, says Gorbis. But it's not all bad news. "When IBM's Deep Blue became the first computer to beat
chess grand master Gary Kasparov people said that's it, computers are smarter than people," she says. "But it
didn't mean that at all. It means they are processing things faster not that they are thinking better." Working
together she believes robots and humans will be able to create a world of new possibilities impossible before
our new industrial revolution.
Gorbis says the robots are already here. The US military is backing the development of a four legged
mechanical pack-carrying robot, called the BigDogs. Guided by its own sensors BigDog can navigate
treacherous terrain carrying 150kg on its back. In the air robot drones are stalking targets in Afghanistan,
remote controlled helicopters are ferrying supplies.
Military technology from the Roman road to the internet has a habit of hitting the mainstream, and robots are
already spreading their influence. Robots may soon do building work. The University of Southern California
has developed a system called Contour Crafting that allows machines to construct buildings in layers guided by
computers. The system can reduce construction times and costs by 75%, according to USC. In South Korea
robots assist teachers in language classes, repeating words and phrases over and over and assessing how well
they are parroted back. Google is working on cars that drive themselves. "What is that other than a robot," says
Gorbis. Amazon and shoe retailer Zappos' huge warehouses are organised by an army of squat orange robots
designed by Kiva Systems.
Inevitably the rise of the robots will put people out of work. Gorbis believes that this and other trends will mean
unemployment will remain around 10% in many parts of the developed world over the coming years. "We are
in transition. It is similar to when we mechanised agriculture. After that we went through a period of high
unemployment as people transitioned to new kinds of jobs. People learned to do other things," she says.
There is potential for a huge backlash. "But once a technology is invented, it is very rare that it disappears. You
can delay the introduction but it is going to be used. If someone can produce something cheaper and faster, you
are competing in that environment." Robots get a bad press. With a few cute exceptions the robot has been an
evil character in movies going back to Fritz Lang's Metropolis in 1927. In Japan and Korea, where many of the
great robot innovators are likely to come from, attitudes are more positive.
Gorbis says there had been some speculation that the Japanese were more attuned to robots because they would
rather mechanise than import foreign labour. "I'm not sure that's true. Whatever the case, there is a fascination
with technology. And more political support. In a small aging population perhaps of necessity you think of
machines as your labour force," she says.
We too are likely to take on more robotic features, she believes. "We have been modifying ourselves with
technology forever, with eyeglasses, cochlear implants. We are going to see more of that. Sensors are going to
be on our bodies, in our bodies letting us and others know what we are doing, what is going on with our health.
All kinds of applications we haven't even thought of yet."
Gorbis says she is often asked if the future is arriving faster than ever. "I'm not sure that it is," she says. "We
know more, we have access to more information but if you lived during the period of electrification or the
building of railroads, I'm sure you really felt the pace of change too. It's all relative."
With all this information being bombarded at us it so no wonder that people worry, she said. "I feel
schizophrenic myself. Half the time I feel really depressed when I look at say climate change or the potential
to misuse technology. But then I get really excited about how we are reinventing ourselves through technology.
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Questions 1-6
1. The IFTF
A. has been amember of RAND since 1968
B. is a client of Marina Gorbis
C. is a well respected organisation
2. Gorbis believes that Deep Blue

A. showed that computers can be smarter than people
B. showed that computers can handle information quicker than people
C. showed that computers can think quicker than people
3. BigDogs
A. are being used in Afghanistan at the moment
B. are able to travel across difficult surfaces
C. can travel with loads in excess of 150kg
4. Gorbis believes that the introduction of new technology
A. is often abandoned
B. does not always result in something cheaper and faster
C. can be postponed
5. Gorbis believes that
A. humans will become more robotic
B. the elderly will welcome robotic developments
C. most of the labour force will be robots
6. Gorbis says that
A. things are changing more rapidly now than in the past
B. the introduction of railways was quicker than any we see today
C. she has mixed feelings about technology
DAY 4 TEXT 3 – THE LISTENING GAME (MULTIPLE CHOICE)
After years of focusing on the bad-and there are still legitimate concerns, for instance, about the psychological
effects of certain violent games-scientists are increasingly examining the potential benefits of video games.
Their studies are revealing that a wide variety of games can boost mental function, improving everything from
vision to memory.
Still unclear is whether these gains are long-lasting and can be applied to non-game tasks. But video games, it
seems, might actually be good for the brain. The very structure of video games makes them ideal tools for brain
training. 'Video games are hard,' said Eric Klopfer, the director of MIT's Education Arcade, which studies and
develops educational video games. 'People don't like to play easy games, and games have figured out a way to
encourage players to persist at solving challenging problems.'
The games aren't just hard-they're adaptively hard. They tend to challenge people right at the edge of their
abilities; as players get better and score more points, they move up to more demanding levels of play. This
adaptive challenge is 'stunningly powerful' for learning, said John Gabrieli, a neuroscientist at MIT.
Most games involve a huge number of mental tasks, and playing can boost any one of them. Fast-paced, action-
packed video games have been shown, in separate studies, to boost visual acuity, spatial perception, and the
ability to pick out objects in a scene. Complex, strategy-based games can improve other cognitive skills,
including working memory and reasoning.
These findings fit with scientists' increasing understanding of how malleable the human brain truly is.
Researchers now know that learning and practicing a challenging task can actually change the brain. Richard
Haier, a pediatric neurologist and professor eme,ritus at the School of Medicine at the University of California
at Irvine, has shown in a pair of studies that the classic game Tetris, in which players have to rotate and direct
rapidly falling blocks, alters the brain. In a paper published last month, Haier and his colleagues showed that
after three months of Tetris practice, teenage girls not only played the game better, their brains became more
efficient.
A type of scan that illuminates brain activity showed that at the end of the three months, the girls' brains were
working less hard to complete the game's challenges. What's more, parts of the cortex, the outer layer of their
brains responsible for high-level functions, actually got thicker. Several of these regions are associated with
visual spatial abilities, planning, and integration of sensory data. The jury is still out on whether practising with
these games helps people outside of the context of the game. In one promising 2008 study, however, senior
citizens who started playing Rise ofNations, a strategic video game devoted to acquiring territory and nation
building, improved on a wide range of cognitive abilities, performing better on subsequent tests of memory,
reasoning, and multitasking. The tests were administered after eight weeks of training on the game. No follow-
up testing was done to assess whether the gains would last.
Now that researchers know these off-the-shelf games can have wide-ranging benefits, they're trying to home in
on the games' most important aspects, potentially allowing designers to create new games that specifically
boost brain power. Other researchers are hoping to use video games to encourage prosocial behaviorsactions
designed to help others. ('Prosocial' behaviors are, in some ways, the opposite of 'antisocial' ones.) In June, an
international team of researchers, including several from Iowa State University, reported that middle school
students in Japan who played games in which characters helped or showed affection for others later engaged in
more of these behaviors themselves. Researchers also found that US college students randomly assigned to play
a prosocial game were subsequently kinder to a fellow research subject than students who played violent or
neutral games. Unlike, say, movies or books, video games don't just have content, they also have rules. A game
is set up to reward certain actions and to punish others. This means they have immense potential to teach
children ethics and values, said Scott Seider, an assistant professor of education at Boston University. (Of
course, this is a double-edged sword. Games could reward negative, antisocial behavior just as easily as
positive, prosocial behaviour.)
Some off-the-shelf games already contain strong prosocial themes; consider The Sims, for instance, or the
classic Oregon Trail, which make players responsible for the well-being of other characters and feature
characters who take care of one another. But Seider also hopes game developers consider the pro-social
possibilities in developing new games. The challenge for the architects of future games will be figuring out how
to wrap virtuous characteristics into an engaging package.
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Questions 1-6
1. What are scientists not sure about in relation to video games?

A. If games can improve mental abilities.
B. If violent games have negative effects on the brain.
C. If there will still be benefits when you are doing other activities.
D. If memory and vision are improved.
2. How do video games encourage players to keep on playing?
A. A player is rewarded with extra points.
B. The challenges get progressively harder.
C. The games become more powerful.
D. The games encourage competition.
3. After three months of playing Tetris, teenage girls
A. found the challenges easier
B. were quicker at completing the tasks
C. developed better vision
D. got higher scores.
4. What social benefits can result from playing video games?
A. increased honesty
B. increased confidence
C. increased caring
D. increased interaction.
5. Video games
A. punish bad behavior
B. reward good behavior
C. might not always reward good behavior
D. do not consider moral outcomes.
6. An important goal for future game-makers is
A. making interesting characters who do the right thing
B. making games as interesting as possible
C. making all games teach moral values
D. making all games Like The Sims.
DAY 5 TEXT 1 (MULTIPLE CHOICE)
My room faces the sun in the morning and on clear summer mornings it wakes me bright and fresh, no matter
what time I stayed up till. I get up and make breakfast, watch TV, have a shower. If it’s before six in the
morning, I usually have a cup of tea and go back to bed where I’ll doze until seven. If I stay at my sister’s, I
sleep until the kids wake me or until she comes rolling in, poured from the back of some taxi, whichever is
earlier. I’m an early riser, and a dead sleeper.
This morning I wake up with a twitch, like the alarm clock in my head has given me a little electric jolt. It isn’t
sunny outside. I pull back the curtains and the sky is dark grey, the same colour as the sea and it looks like the
sun won’t appear before tomorrow. Today is Dad’s birthday. Every year on my Dad’s birthday I draw a picture
of him and each year he looks a bit different. I’m an artist. There, I said it. It’s not that I draw a straighter line
or a truer circle, as they try to teach us to do at school. I just get the message across more clearly than other
people. More truthfully. I know it.
I read a lot of books too, mainly about artists, and I go through phases when I like a certain artist or a
movement. And I try to paint like them. When my dad comes back, I’ll be able to say ‘this is you when I was
twelve and I was in love with Monet’ or ‘this is you on your thirty eighth birthday, when I was fourteen and I
wanted to paint like Dante Gabriel Rossetti.’ And he’ll look at each painting and know that I loved him and
never forgot him.
At the moment I’m into lines, simple lines. It’s a development of a six month obsession I had with calligraphy,
which came out of a phase I had with cartoons, which came from Liechtenstein and Warhol, and so on all the
way back. So I get out my charcoals, and a couple of sticks of chalk and I pin a heavy sheet of grey A3 paper
onto a board and rest it on my knee as I sit on the bed.
On Saturday mornings when my Mum worked, he’d take me to town and I’d drag him around the art shops. On
my eighth birthday he bought me an easel, a real one, not a kid die’s. On my ninth birthday he bought me oils.
On my sixth birthday he bought me a box of 99 crayons. ‘Draw me,’ he’d say. ‘Oh, Dad, I can’t.’ Some
mornings I’d wake up and there’d be a book on my pillow about Picasso, or Chagall.
I should go to school, I really should. I’m not one of those kids who are scared to go. I don’t get bullied and
I’m not thick. I just can’t find a good reason to waste my day in a classroom studying physics or citizenship or
Buddhism. I could learn them in the library. Phil, the head of year eleven, will bollock me for it tomorrow, if I
go in. I’ll tell Phil the truth, it was my Dad’s birthday and I spent it with him.
So I spend some time thinking about his hair, which I think is probably no more grey than it was last year. I
know hair doesn’t age at the same speed every year, but I make his hair longer this year. And in my mind’s eye
I give him an extra few pounds too. But I keep the smile fixed in my head, maybe a little muted, like it is when
he’s happy but distracted, or trying to understand me when I’m babbling to him.
It’s head and shoulders, so I’ll put him in a T shirt that shows his neck and throat and how strong he is and how
his eyes sparkle and how his eyebrows are dead level straight and still black. I try to think of how much I want
to show and how much I want to tell. Then I pick up a charcoal stick and do it. I pick up a chalk to add a
suggestion of colour to his eyes, then another chalk for his mouth. And there he is. Dad.
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Questions 1-7
1. That morning the narrator was woken up by

A. the kids
B. his sister
C. nobody
D. an alarm clock
2. The narrator considers himself to be an artist because
A. he can draw a straighter line and a truer circle
B. he gets lots of messages from other people
C. he can speak to people more truthfully
D. he is able to convey his ideas better than other people
3. The narrator’s manner of painting
A. is similar to Monet’s
B. is like Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s
C. comes from Liechtenstein and Warhol
D. is constantly changing
4. The narrator was encouraged to paint by
A. his mother
B. his father
C. his brother
D. his friend Phil
5. The narrator doesn’t want to go to school because
A. he prefers to study on his own
B. he doesn’t like some subjects
C. he is bullied at school
D. he is scared to go there
6. In paragraph 6 ‘I’m not thick’ means that the narrator is
A. healthy
B. clever
C. strong
D. hard working
7. Compared to the previous year, the narrator’s father
A. has much greyer hair
B. has a happier smile
C. is a bit fatter
D. is much stronger
DAY 5 TEXT 2 (MULTIPLE CHOICE)
Jonte faced playtime with mixed feelings. When the bell rang, the others would rush into the open air, laughing
and chattering. He felt left out. Yet these were also times he enjoyed. He could daydream about how things
might have been. Sometimes, though, he would watch the play not directly, that would have been impossible
but on the big screen in one of the classrooms.
Cheering on his friends made him feel part of the action. Even through the screens, however, watching for long
often made his eyes hurt. Sunlight reflected strongly off the silvery turf, and even more from the trees around
the ground. Players in motion trailed flashes of light which left black spots in his vision.
It was during a tense game that the summons came through. The shelter Principal, no less, wanted him at once
in his office. Jonte uttered a mild swearword, though realizing that he had already been watching too long his
head was aching. He made his way to the admin sector, signalled his arrival and went in. The Principal was
behind his desk directly opposite the door. He was a small man, with metallic black hair cut short, silver grey
hands in constant fidgety motion and an expression of perpetual irritation.
He waved in the direction of a chair placed in front of the desk. But to Jonte’s surprise, there were several other
people in the office. It was difficult at first to see them all clearly: not only had the effects of watching the
match still to wear off, but the lighting was poor. Perhaps the Principal had only remembered at the last minute
to close the heavy shutters and switch on a lamp.
As his vision returned, Jonte’s surprise grew. The six men and two women, who sat in a half circle to one side,
judging by their job tags, were senior…very senior. Four were from the administration. The two women and the
other two men seemed to be scientists from different research bodies.
Jonte was used to the fact that other people were inscrutable. He would have been able to tell from gazing in a
mirror into his own eyes, with their blue irises surrounding dark pupils, how he was feeling, even if he hadn’t
known yet. But other people’s eyes were silver discs, giving away nothing. He could sometimes see from the
rest of their faces whether they were happy or sad, smiling or frowning; but their skin reflected the light, so that
he could never be quite sure. From the way they were sitting, he thought, the visitors seemed anxious.
‘Jonte’, the Principal said, ‘these people have a favour to ask, and I hope you can help them. Please sit down.’
Jonte’s surprise grew. What possible favour could these people want from someone like him? ‘I’ll help if I can’,
he said ‘You know,’ the Principal went on, ‘that you have had to grow up here because going outside would be
dangerous. Your body wouldn’t be able to withstand the radiation, even at night time. Ordinary people are born
with protection; but in your case…’
‘So you see’, one of the women interjected quickly, ‘you are really a very interesting young man. We want you
to let us get to know you better.’ ‘The people here,’ the Principal resumed, ‘are from the government’s science
and research council. They would like to take you to one of their centres in the south, where the facilities are
supposed to be better than we can provide…’
‘But I’m quite happy here,’ Jonte felt he should say. ‘My friends…’ ‘…and in any case, ’the Principal insisted a
trifle sourly, ‘you wouldn’t be able to stay much longer. The shelter is being closed down.’ Jonte took this in.
‘So when do I have to go?’ he asked.
‘If you can pack your things together quickly, ’one of the men replied, ‘we should like to move you this
evening … say in an hour. Is that all right?’ An hour! The suddenness of it all puzzled Jonte. His condition had
been known from the moment he had been born when his parents so he had been told had handed him over for
special care. But it also excited him. Apart from a short journey when he had been much younger to a medical
centre, he could not remember ever having left the shelter. He didn’t really have much to pack anyway.
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Questions 1-7
1. When his friends rushed into the open air during playtime, Jonte felt
A. embarrased
B. annoyed
C. lonely
D. bored
2. When the summons came through, Jonte was
A. glad that he was able to have a rest
B. annoyed that he had to stop watching the game
C. eager to know what had happened
D. in a hurry
3. The people in the Principal’s office were all
A. of high rank
B. very old
C. researchers
D. from the administration
4. In paragraph 6 the word ‘inscrutable’ means
A. not wishing to talk
B. unhappy
C. pretending to be kind
D. showing no emotion or reaction
5. Jonte had to grow up in the shelter because
A. he was an orphan
B. the world outside the shelter was dangerous
C. his body was unable to withstand high temperature
D. he would not manage to survive in the open air
6. The people offered to take Jonte to one of their centres because
A. Jonte was not quite happy here
B. it was well equipped
C. the Principal didn’t want Jonte to stay in the shelter
D. the shelter could not provide good education for Jonte
7. Jonte was surprised because
A. he had not known about his condition
B. he had never left the shelter before
C. he had to leave the shelter urgently
D. he didn’t have much to pack
DAY 6 TEXT (MULTIPLE CHOICE)
‘Have you written a letter to the Froplinsons?’ asked Egbert. ‘No,’ said Janetta, with a note of tired defiance in
her voice; ‘I’ve written eleven letters today expressing surprise and gratitude for sundry unmerited gifts, but I
haven’t written to the Froplinsons yet.’ ‘Someone will have to do it,’ said Egbert. ‘I don’t dispute the necessity,
but I don’t think that someone should be me,’ said Janetta. ‘I wouldn’t mind writing a letter of angry
recrimination or heartless satire to some suitable recipient. In fact, I should rather enjoy it, but I’ve come to the
end of my capacity for expressing servile amiability. Eleven letters today and nine yesterday, all couched in the
same strain of ecstatic thankfulness: really, you can’t expect me to sit down to another. There is such a thing as
writing oneself out.’
‘I’ve written nearly as many,’ said Egbert, ‘and I’ve had my usual business correspondence to get through, too.
Besides, I don’t know what it was that the Froplinsons sent us.’ ‘A William the Conqueror calendar,’ said
Janetta, ‘with a quotation of one of his great thoughts for every day in the year.’ ‘Impossible,’ said Egbert; ‘he
didn’t have three hundred and sixty five thoughts in the whole of his life, or, if he did, he kept them to himself.’
‘Well, it was William Wordsworth, then,’ said Janetta; ‘I know William came into it somewhere.’
‘That sounds more probable,’ said Egbert; ‘well, let’s collaborate on this letter and get it done. I’ll dictate, and
you can scribble it down. ‘Dear Mrs. Froplinson, thank you and your husband so much for the very pretty
calendar you sent us. It was very good of you to think of us.’ ’‘You can’t possibly say that,’ said Janetta, laying
down her pen. ‘We sent them something on the twenty second,’ said Janetta, ‘so they simply had to think of us.
There was no getting away from it.’ ‘What did we send them?’ asked Egbert gloomily. ‘Bridge markers,’ said
Janetta, ‘in a cardboard case, with some inanity about ‘digging for fortune with a royal spade’ emblazoned on
the cover. The moment I saw it in the shop I said to myself ‘Froplinsons’ and to the attendant ‘How much?’
When he said ‘Ninepence,’ I gave him their address, jabbed our card in, paid ten pence or eleven pence to cover
the postage, and thanked heaven. With less sincerity and infinitely more trouble they eventually thanked me.’
‘The Froplinsons don’t play bridge,’ said Egbert. ‘One is not supposed to notice social deformities of that sort,’
said Janetta; ‘it wouldn’t be polite. Besides, what trouble did they take to find out whether we read Wordsworth
with gladness? For all they knew or cared we might be frantically embedded in the belief that all poetry begins
and ends with John Masefield, and it might infuriate or depress us to have a daily sample of Wordsworthian
products flung at us.’
‘Well, let’s get on with the letter,’ said Egbert. ‘How clever of you to guess that Wordsworth is our favourite
poet.’ Again Janetta laid down her pen. ‘Do you realise what that means?’ she asked; ‘a Wordsworth booklet
next Christmas, and another calendar the Christmas after, with the same problem of having to write suit able
letters of thankfulness. No, the best thing to do is to drop all further allusion to the calendar and switch off on to
some other topic.’ ‘But what other topic?’ ‘Oh, something like this: ‘What do you think of the New Year
Honours List? A friend of ours made such a clever remark when he read it.’ Then you can stick in any remark
that comes into your head; it needn’t be clever. The Froplinsons won’t know whether it is or isn’t.’
‘We don’t even know on which side they are in politics,’ objected Egbert; ‘and anyhow you can’t suddenly
dismiss the subject of the calendar. Surely there must be some intelligent remark that can be made about it.’
‘Well, we can’t think of one,’ said Janetta wearily; ‘the fact is, we’ve both written ourselves out.’ There was a
long silence, the forlorn silence of those who are bereft of hope and have almost ceased to care. Then Egbert
started from his seat with an air of resolution. The light of battle was in his eyes.
‘Let me come to the writing table,’ he exclaimed; ‘I’m going to write to the editor of every enlightened and
influential newspaper in the Kingdom, I’m going to suggest that there should be a sort of epistolary Truce of
God during the festivities of Christmas and New Year. From the twenty fourth of December to the third or
fourth of January it shall be considered an offence against good sense and good feeling to write or expect any
letter or communication that does not deal with the necessary events of the moment. Answers to invitations,
arrangements about trains, renewal of club subscriptions, and, of course, all the ordinary everyday affairs of
business, sickness, engaging new cooks, and so forth, these will be dealt with in the usual manner as something
inevitable. But all the devastating accretions of correspondence, incident to the festive season, these should be
swept away to give the season a chance of being really festive.’
‘But you would have to make some acknowledgment of presents received,’ objected Janetta; ‘otherwise people
would never know whether they had arrived safely.’ ‘Of course, I have thought of that,’ said Egbert; ‘every
present that was sent off would be accompanied by a ticket bearing the date of dispatch and the signature of the
sender, and some conventional hieroglyphic to show that it was intended to be a Christmas or New Year gift;
there would be a counterfoil with space for the recipient’s name and the date of arrival, and all you would have
to do would be to sign and date the counterfoil, add a conventional hieroglyphic indicating heartfelt thanks and
gratified surprise, put the thing into an envelope and post it.’
‘It sounds delightfully simple,’ said Janetta wistfully, ‘but people would consider it too perfunctory.’ ‘It is not a
bit more perfunctory than the present system,’ said Egbert; ‘I have only the same conventional language of
gratitude at my disposal with which to thank dear old Colonel Chuttle for his perfectly delicious Stilton, which
we shall devour to the last morsel, and the Froplinsons for their calendar, which we shall never look at. So you
see the present system of acknowledgment is just as perfunctory and conventional as the counterfoil business
would be, only ten times more tiresome and brain racking.’ ‘Your plan would certainly bring the idea of a
Happy Christmas a step nearer realisation,’ said Janetta. ‘Meanwhile, what am I to say to the Froplinsons?’

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Questions 1-7
1. Egbert and Janetta were writing

A. application letters
B. thank you letters
C. letters of recrimination
D. letters of complaint.
2. Egbert and Janetta didn’t want to write a letter to the Froplinsons because they
A. had both written themselves out
B. didn’t like this couple
C. didn’t know what the Froplinsons had sent them
D. had a lot of work to do
3. Janetta liked her present to the Froplinsons because it was
A. expensive and useless
B. cheap and useless
C. expensive and useful
D. cheap and useful
4. Janetta didn’t want to mention that Wordsworth was their favourite poet because
A. she actually didn’t like his poems
B. her favourite poet was John Masefield
C. the Froplinsons would send them new Wordsworth related presents
D. she didn’t want the Froplinsons to know the truth
5. Janetta considered the Froplisons to be
A. stupid
B. clever
C. kind
D. mean
6. Egbert suggested that at Christmas people should
A. stop writing letters at all
B. put off all the everyday affairs of business
C. not make any acknowledgment of received presents
D. send counterfoils instead of thank you letters
7. Janetta considered a new system
A. absolutely impossible
B. too perfunctory
C. easy to implement
D. totally unacceptable
After graduating from medical school, Eugene Alford built a lucrative career as an ear, nose, and throat
specialist and a facial plastic surgeon at Methodist Hospital. In the summers, he and his wife Mary, a dentist
and former paediatric nurse, would join a church sponsored medical mission to Honduras, where he operated on
the needy in a rural clinic.
At home, Alford treated many prominent Houston residents, but he also waived his fee for less fortunate
patients. Carolyn Thomas, for instance, went to see him with a large gauze bandage over a cavity in her face.
She had been shot by her boyfriend, who had also killed her mother. The bullet had blown away Thomas’s
nose, upper jaw, and right eye. Reconstruction would have cost a million dollars, but Alford, his medical team,
and his hospital did it for free.
Whenever Alford needed to relax after a particularly gruelling period of work, he’d drive to his ranch in
Bellville and lose himself in farm chores. He didn’t make it out there as often as he would have liked. As a
plastic surgeon at Methodist Hospital, he had performed 800 operations over the previous year and was booked
solid for months ahead. So on a chilly Sunday a few days after Christmas, Alford headed out through the pine
bush, intending to clear a trail for deer hunting. As he cut through underbrush in the south pasture, Alford
brought the tractor to a halt in front of a dead white oak standing in his path. He nudged the trunk with the
tractor’s front end loader, expecting the tree to topple neatly to the ground. Instead the top half of the oak
swayed towards him. In seconds, more than a ton of hardwood slammed down on him, crushing his spine.
Pinned to the steering wheel, Alford could barely breathe. He tried to hit the brakes, but his legs failed to
respond. When he found he could move his hands, he turned off the ignition, then with great effort pulled his
cell phone from his shirt pocket and called his wife on speed dial. ‘Mary,’ he gasped, ‘a tree fell on me. I’m
going to die.’ ‘Don’t quit!’ she shouted. ‘We’re coming to get you!’ Alford was still conscious when his
neighbours Kevin and Snuffy, alerted by Mary, hauled the tree off him. A rescue helicopter touched down
minutes later, and Alford advised the paramedics on which drugs to administer to him. Then he blacked out.
He was flown to the trauma unit at Medical Centre in Houston, then quickly transferred to Methodist. The
operation was successful, but the patient was still in danger. After almost two weeks in the ICU, Alford awoke,
and his condition improved enough for him to be taken to a rehabilitation unit, where he began physical therapy
and learned to use a wheelchair. In February 2008, six weeks after the accident, Alford returned to his 100 year
old home in Houston. At first, he was so weak that he could sit up only when strapped into a wheelchair.
Before the accident, Alford had been a solidly built six footer and was used to being in charge. Now, entirely
dependent on others, he fell into despair. ‘If it weren’t for my wife and kids, I would have killed myself,’ he
says. But then the love started pouring in. Alford’s brother maintained a blog to provide updates about Alford’s
recovery. Over the next three months, he received 40,000 messages from colleagues, former patients,
acquaintances, even strangers. The outpouring raised his spirits. It also gave Mary a new perspective on him.
For years, Alford’s schedule of 15 hour days hadn’t left him much time for her and the kids. ‘I’d just about
decided you liked work more than us,’ Mary told him one day over lunch. ‘But now I realize you didn’t want to
leave the hospital because there were so many folks that needed you. You couldn’t just abandon them.’
The couple refurbished their house with ramps, a wheelchair accessible bathroom, and an elevator. They bought
an extended cab pickup truck and fitted it with a wheel chair hoist, a swivelling driver’s seat, and hand controls
so Alford could drive himself. But Alford’s goal was to make such adjustments temporary. After a month of
physical therapy, he graduated from an electric to a manual wheelchair. The daily workouts built strength in his
back and abdominal muscles, improving his ability to hold himself upright. Soon he was able to stand with the
aid of a tubular steel frame; seated in his chair, he could now draw his legs toward his chest.
In May, Alford began the next phase of treatment. By putting a paralyzed patient through his paces, therapists
hoped to grow new neuromuscular connections. After three months of this routine, Alford’s coordination had
improved markedly. He felt ready to pick up a scalpel again, with the hospital’s approval. Alford still goes for
four hours of rehab every morning and spends his evenings stretching and riding a motorized stationary bike to
keep muscle spasms at bay. But in the hours between, he sees patients or performs surgeries—as many as five a
week. He’s eager to do more complex surgeries and plans to increase his workload. Walking remains uncertain.
‘I always tell him if I had a crystal ball, I’d be a millionaire,’ says Marcie Kern, one of his physical therapists.
Still, the doctor considers himself a lucky man.
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Questions 1-7
1. Eugene Alford
A. treated only prominent Houston residents
B. did some charity work
C. had fixed fees
D. often visited his ranch in Bellville.
2. In paragraph 3 ‘gruelling’ means
A. extremely boring
B. quite exciting
C. very tiring
D. highly uncomfortable.
3. As a result of the accident, the oak broke Alford’s
A. neck
B. legs
C. back
D. chest
4. Before the accident, Alford
A. was in charge of the hospital
B. liked his work more than his family
C. worked 15 hours a week
D. could not spend much time with his wife and children.
5. To make Alford feel more comfortable
A. the family equipped their house with necessary facilities
B. his 100 year old house was redecorated
C. the family bought a new house
D. his old pickup truck was fitted with a wheelchair hoist
6. After physical therapy and daily workouts
A. Alford didn’t need a wheelchair
B. Alford’s stamina came back
C. Alford started to perform simple operations
D. Alford‘s coordination improved markedly
7. At present Alford
A. feels sorry for himself
B. is planning to practise medicine as well as he used to
C. is going to start walking
D. wants to become a millionaire
Greenhouse gases arise from a wide range of sources and their increasing concentration is largely related to the
compound effects of increased population, improved living standards and changes in lifestyle. From a current
base of 5 billion, the United Nations predicts that the global population may stabilise in the twenty-first century
between 8 and 14 billion, with more than 90 per cent of the projected increase taking place in the world’s
developing nations. The associated activities to support that growth, particularly to produce the required energy
and food, will cause further increases in greenhouse gas emissions. The challenge, therefore, is to attain a
sustainable balance between population, economic growth and the environment.
The major greenhouse gas emissions from human activities are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane and nitrous
oxide. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are the only major contributor to the greenhouse effect that does not occur
naturally, coming from such sources as refrigeration, plastics and manufacture. Coal’s total contribution to
greenhouse gas emissions is thought to be about 18 percent, with about half of this coming from electricity
generation.
The worldwide coal industry allocates extensive resources to researching and developing new technologies and
ways of capturing greenhouse gases. Efficiencies are likely to be improved dramatically, and hence CO2
emissions reduced, through combustion and gasification techniques which are now at pilot and demonstration
stages.
Clean coal is another avenue for improving fuel conversion efficiency. Investigations are under way into super-
clean coal (35 per cent ash) and ultraclean coal (less than 1 per cent ash). Super-clean coal has the potential to
enhance the combustion efficiency of conventional pulverised fuel power plants.
Ultraclean coal will enable coal to be used in advanced power systems such as coal-fired gas turbines which,
when operated in combined cycle, have the potential to achieve much greater efficiencies. Defendants of
mining point out that, environmentally, coal mining has two important factors in its favour. It makes only
temporary use of the land and produces no toxic chemical wastes. By carefully preplanning projects,
implementing pollution control measures, monitoring the effects of mining and rehabilitating mined areas, the
coal industry minimises the impact on the neighbouring community, the immediate environment and long-term
land capability.
Dust levels are controlled by spraying roads and stockpiles, and water pollution is controlled by carefully
separating clean water runoff from runoff which contains sediments or salt from mine workings. The latter is
treated and reused for dust suppression. Noise is controlled by modifying equipment and by using insulation
and sound enclosures around machinery.
Since mining activities represent only a temporary use of the land, extensive rehabilitation measures are
adopted to ensure that land capability after mining meets agreed and appropriate standards which, in some
cases, are superior to the land’s pre-mining condition. Where the mining is underground, the surface area can be
simultaneously used for forests, cattle grazing and crop raising, or even reservoirs and urban development, with
little or no disruption to the existing land use. In all cases, mining is subject to stringent controls and approvals
processes.
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Questions 1-5
1. The global increase in greenhouse gases has been attributed to

A. industrial pollution in developing countries
B. coal mining and electricity generation
C. reduced rainfall in many parts of the world
D. trends in population and lifestyle.
2. The proportion of all greenhouse gases created by coal is approximately
A. 14 per cent
B. 18 per cent
C. 27 per cent
D. 90 per cent
3. Current research aims to increase the energy-producing efficiency of coal by
A. burning it at a lower temperature
B. developing new gasification techniques
C. extracting CO2 from it
D. recycling greenhouse gases
4. Compared with ordinary coal, new, ‘clean’ coals may generate power
A. more cleanly and more efficiently
B. more cleanly but less efficiently
C. more cleanly but at higher cost
D. more cleanly but much more slowly
5. To control dust at mine sites, mining companies often use
A. chemicals which may be toxic
B. topsoil taken from the site before mining
C. fresh water from nearby dams
D. runoff water containing sediments.
DAY 9 TEXT (TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN)
Forget about city breaks or whizzing off for a long weekend in the sun. Learning, it seems, is the new travel
and everyone is racing back to school to crack a new skill. No longer is it considered enough to come home
with a winter tan or memories of great restaurant meals, you need to be able to make your own bread or fillet
your own fish.
Pottering around craft galleries won’t wash - the smart new souvenirs are your very own handcrafted pots,
willow garden ornaments or stained glass lampshades. Some of the motivation comes from the recession. With
money tight and jobs insecure, our weekends need to feel worthwhile, industrious and focused. There’s been a
huge resurgence of interest in home crafts, cookery and gardening as we find pleasure in growing and making
our own.
There’s never been a better time to be a domestic goddess or a garden god (or vice versa). With the
environment also on people’s minds, courses that can turn us into good lifers (yes, even with a small back
garden) are hugely popular. Learn the basics of keeping hens, bees, even pigs. Start your own allotment; build a
wood-burning stove; make your own biodiesel - in fact, why not go the whole hog and build your own straw-
bale house?
A weekend is the perfect amount of time for a course. It’s not too large a commitment of time or cash and
not too embarrassing or gruesome if you discover, very swiftly, that your dream of being the next Cath
Kidston or Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is pie in the sky. Some courses run from Friday to Sunday, while
others last for just a day and many give the impetus to try out a new hobby or skill. Some might even
provide a springboard for a new business opportunity.
Carron York who, along with husband Tony, runs pig-keeping courses in Wiltshire, says that lots of people
are now keeping pigs, not just as a hobby, but as an extra source of income. “One woman keeps rare-breed
pigs to help put her daughters through school,” she says. “Others just come along and fall in love.”
Above all, weekend courses are great fun. They provide the opportunity to meet like-minded people and are
often held in stunning or unusual locations. Some are residential (from country-house hotels to DIY
camping in a muddy field); others will require you to make your own accommodation arrangements. Not all
these courses are run regularly, so check the websites to find the next date. Some will put on extra weekends
if there is enough interest, so ask if a suitable date isn’t available. Many only take small groups and book up
quickly, so don’t delay.
The following weekends offer something for everyone. We’ve tracked down 50 courses throughout the UK,
catering for a wide variety of ages and interests. Happy learning!
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TASK 2. NOW COMPLETE TRUE FALSE NOT GIVEN QUESTIONS.
Questions 1-7
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the text?
TRUE - if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE - if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN - if there is no information on this
1. Combining hobbies with holidays is becoming very popular.
2. One reason for the boom in learning is that people don't have a lot of money.
3. Courses on how to breed livestock are becoming more popular.
4. All the courses run for two or three days.
5. Some people use the courses to help them start out in business.
6. The courses are also great social activities.
7. All the courses include somewhere to stay for the duration of the course.
DAY 10 TEXT - EXTINCT BIRDS OF NEW ZEALAND
Many species of birds that once lived in this South Pacific country aren't found today.
Today, New Zealand is a typical, modern country with cities, towns and roads. But for many thousands of
years, and until relatively recently, the more than 3,000 islands that make up the country had no human
inhabitants at all. Instead, a vast number of birds lived in its forests, mountains and along the thousands of
kilometres of beaches. In fact, New Zealand probably had more species of birds than any other country in the
world. One reason for this was that the natural environment was a perfect source of food to support the bird
population, particularly from the enormous oceans that surround the country. With so much food readily
available, it's not surprising that the bird population grew. Another important factor was that the birds had no
predators on land because, with the exception of a single species of bat, there weren't any mammals at all in the
country that would otherwise have killed birds and kept their numbers down. Because of this, over many, many
years, New Zealand's birds developed characteristics not associated with bird populations in other countries.
For example, they didn't have to defend themselves from predators, so many birds lived on the ground and
didn't have wings because they didn't need to fly, such as the iconic kiwi bird and also the much larger, ostrich-
like bird called the moa. This characteristic allowed the birds to save huge amounts of energy and provided
them with numerous other advantages – so long as they didn't need to defend themselves against attacks by
predators! One final development was that many of these birds now made their nests on the ground rather than
in tress and the eggs that they laid became much bigger over time. This was just one more factor that made
these populations of birds very vulnerable when humans eventually reached New Zealand. The first human
migrants to New Zealand were the Maori people, who arrived approximately 800 years ago. The Maori sailed
from their original homes in the tropical Pacific to New Zealand in canoes, bringing food supplies and many of
the things they needed to set up new homes. Unfortunately, however, they unintentionally brought Pacific rats
with them as well, a species previously unknown in New Zealand, and these killed many birds that were unable
to fly away. The Maori themselves also hunted birds for food, and their loud calls in the forest at night time
made them particularly easy to find. Birds were useful in other ways, too. Fish hooks were frequently
manufactured from bones, while feathers were highly prized as decorations to be worn in the hair or clothing.
The results of this, in terms of bird populations, has been calculated by the scientist Paul Martin. His research
since the 1960s has assessed the impact on flora and fauna of human arrival in various parts of the world, and
he has concluded that New Zealand is a unique example because bird species were wiped out so fast, relative to
other countries. European migrants started arriving in significant numbers in the early 1800s and brought with
them a whole lot of new problems. The journals of the earliest European explorers in the country are full of
references to how they relied on their hunting dogs to catch birds in order to supply the expedition with food,
and these animals have been a constant threat to bird life ever since. Many of the European settlers came to
New Zealand to set up farms, but before this was possible it was necessary to clear the land of trees, and this
process of deforestation had serious consequences for many birds, as their habitats were destroyed. As the
country's population has grown and the need for more land for housing, industry and farming has increased
with it, many more bird species have faced extinction. However, in recent decades attempts have been made to
save some of these endangered species by creating sanctuaries where they can live and breed. The location for
nearly all of these sanctuaries has been small islands scattered around the coastline, which can be kept free of
predators and pests. In some cases, this includes human beings, allowing the environment to return to its
original condition.
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TASK 2. NOW COMPLETE THE TASKS GIVEN.
Questions 1–4
Complete the notes below.
Write ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
New Zealand before humans arrived
- there were many birds
- the large 1 ....................... provided food for birds
- there were no 2 ........................ on land so birds had few predators
- many birds had no 3 ............................ so couldn't defend themselves, e.g. moa
- birds' 4 ........................ were also very large
- birds were very vulnerable
Questions 5–10
Complete the table below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Human migration to New Zealand
Reasons Birds Died Results
Maori 5 .................... were accidentally introduced to New according to Paul Martin,
migration Zealand birds' loud calls made them easy to find the extinction of some species was
birds' feathers were used for unusually 7 ....................
decoration and bones for 6 ....................
European explorers used 8 .................... to kill birds attempts to save endangered species on
migration for food 10 .................... around the country
creating farms caused 9 .................... and loss of
habitat
DAY 11 TEXT - SHOP TILL YOU DROP!
The rise and rise of the shopping mall?

A. Today, shopping malls are found in almost every nation, in both the developed and developing world.
Visitors to any city, from Auckland to Washington, and Beijing to Jogjakarta, can expect to find shopping malls
in the suburban centres, and all of them will appear to be broadly similar. So it's easy to forget that malls are
actually a relatively recent development. The first suburban shopping malls as we would recognise them today
only started to be built in America in the 1950s, and in most of the rest of the world in the decades after that as
the craze for mall shopping went global. But 50 or so years on, while malls are still an important part of the
retail economy, mall owners have little to celebrate as increased competition from the Internet means fewer and
fewer people walk into their air-conditioned halls. In the U.S.A, few if any new malls have opened since 2006,
and those already operating are having to work harder and harder to attract customers.
B. One of the first indoor 'shopping centres' was the Cleveland Arcade, built in the late nineteenth century.
However, this was an inner city shopping venue without parking and cannot really be considered the forebear of
today's malls which didn't appear until much later and in response to a new feature of urban development. Their
invention is usually credited to an Austrian-born U.S. immigrant, who hated suburban living, seeing it as
essentially 'empty' and lacking any focal point. His solution was to try to recreate in the suburbs the same
compact shopping experience as was found in city centres – the shopping mall, a town square for the suburbs,
but one with plentiful parking for the increasingly car-dominated culture of the 1950s.
C. It would be a mistake, however, to assume that consumers have always flocked to malls on impulse without
any effort being made to entice them. In fact, if my own local mall is any guide, these institutions have always
found it necessary to publicise themselves and actively seek customers. In the 1960s my local mall ran a variety
of publicity events such as beauty pageants, fashion parades and even a bed-making competition. More recently
these events have focussed on appearances by minor celebrities, aspiring singers, unemployed actors, and
discarded contestants from the latest television reality series. So it's apparent that malls have never taken their
customers for granted and have always been prepared to lure them away from alternative shopping venues.
D. While malls come in a variety of shapes and sizes, they nearly always contain at least one
supermarket, and it is arguably this store that is the crucial component of any mall: the necessity of buying
groceries draws customers in, and thereafter they may well be persuaded to purchase nonessential items from
some of the other stores on site. What's more, the whole mall enterprise has learned a great deal from
supermarkets, which have always led the field in understanding the shopper's mind. Studies conducted since the
1960s have established certain fixed principles to apply to supermarket design: essential items are spread
throughout the shop, forcing customers to walk down every aisle, where they might be tempted into an
unplanned purchase; chocolate and sweets are placed at child's eye level at the checkouts, and so on. The
potential for all shops to exploit consumers in similar ways is one that mall designers have been quick to
recognise.
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TASK 2. NOW MATCH THE CORRECT HEADINGS.
Questions 1– 5
The Reading Passage has five paragraphs, A–E.
Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below.
Write the correct number, i-vii, below.
List of headings 1. Paragraph A ..........
i. How one mall has promoted itself over the years 2. Paragraph B ..........
ii. Reasons for government support of malls 3. Paragraph C ..........
iii. Ongoing research into the psychology of shoppers 4. Paragraph D ..........
iv. How malls have gone in and out of fashion 5. Paragraph E ..........
v. How different countries interpret malls in new ways
vi. The ideas behind the original malls
vii. The influence one type of shop has had on malls
DAY 12 TEXT - ARE GERMS BAD?
Scientists know that bacteria make humans sick, but research suggests some bacteria may also keep people
alive.
A. The bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is able to live – indeed, thrive – inside the human stomach,
which makes it relatively rare because the stomach is so acidic as to be an extremely hostile environment for
most bacteria. H. pylori is shaped like a corkscrew and is three microns long – to give a sense of scale, a grain
of sand is about three hundred microns long. Research has shown that over 50% of the world's population is
infected by H. pylori, making it the most common infection of its kind among human beings. However, it
would be a mistake to assume from its diminutive proportions or the fact that it occurs so frequently that the
bacteria is a benign presence in the human body.
B. In the 1980s doctors realised that antibiotic medications could free the body of the bacterium and thus cure
various illnesses including gastritis and stomach ulcers. At the time there was complete consensus among
scientists that H. pylori did nothing but harm and all steps should be taken to eradicate it. One of those at the
forefront of the research was Martin Blaser, professor of microbiology at New York University School of
Medicine. Professor Blaser still remembers how certain the academic community was in those days about H.
pylori. 'It was bad for us, so the idea was to get it out of our bodies, as fast as we can. I don't know of anyone
who said, “We'd better think about the consequences.”'
C. Professor Blaser's laboratory was ahead of the field and developed the original blood analysis techniques to
identify the bacterium, and most of them are commonly in use today. But Professor Blaser has a mind that
engages with a number of different intellectual activities; for example, in addition to his medical work, he
helped to set up an important magazine of literary criticism in the United States. And perhaps it was this
diversity of perspective that first caused him to wonder about H. pylori. In particular, he was curious to know
how a bacterium that was as old as humans could survive in the human body if its only role was negative. As a
result, Professor Blaser began to examine fresh aspects of the bacterium, such as its molecular make up and
behaviour.
D. In 1998 Professor Blaser's findings appeared in the British Medical Journal. On the basis of extensive
research into the subject, the paper concluded that, despite the prevailing consensus to the contrary, H. pylori
might actually help promote human health, such as by regulating the level of acidity in the stomach. He pointed
to the fact that, while the incidence of H. pylori is decreasing thanks to the widespread use of antibiotics, some
diseases are actually becoming more common. Professor Blaser hypothesised that the bacterium occurs quite
naturally in the human stomach and that the changes to the stomach's composition caused by its removal over
recent decades account for today's increasing rates of diabetes, obesity and asthma. This is certainly an area of
medical research worth watching over the years ahead.
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TASK 2. NOW COMPLETE MATCHING INFORMATION TASK.
Questions 1–7
The Reading Passage has four paragraphs, A–D.
Which paragraph contains the following information?
Write the correct letter, A–D, next to each question.
NB You may use any letter more than once.
1. some details of the first test to determine the presence of H. pylori
2. some details of a pioneering academic publication
3. the suggestion that one man's range of interests led to a new approach
4. a warning about underestimating the importance of H. pylori
5. an example of a medical benefit attributed to the presence of H. pylori
6. a comparison between H. pylori and a natural substance familiar to most people
7. examples of some medical problems caused by H. pylori being present
DAY 13 TEXT - BUILDING CITIES RIGHT
How do we plan and design the best urban environments?
Researchers have estimated that sometime in 2007, more than 50% of the human race lived in cities for the
first time in history. In this sense then, most of us are urban dwellers: our home, the place we know best in the
world, is a city. Yet despite this widespread familiarity with the urban environment, the issues involved in town
planning and design are hugely complex and sometimes misunderstood, according to Dr Simon Lavers, a senior
lecturer in urban planning and management at the Millennium Institute. 'I can think of no other form of design
that incorporates such a broad range of factors,' he says. 'It comprises a huge number of sometimes conflicting
considerations – economic, political, legal, cultural, aesthetic.' Part of the problem, Lavers believes, is that
governments pass too many laws regulating design issues, leaving the planning process inflexible and
bureaucratic.
'There's something very symbolic about that majority figure,' says Helene Olav, a research fellow at the
Institute for Urban Affairs, referring to the fact that over 50% of people now live in cities. In fact, in many
countries it's more like 80%. 'Urban life is a fundamentally human experience,' says Olav, 'but in some cities it
doesn't necessarily feel like it. Urban planners need to incorporate this reality at the heart of their designs,
creating urban facilities intended for all residents, whether that be galleries, museums, recreational centres, or
open areas such as parks and squares.' A similar point is made by Professor Margaret Evans, a long-time
advocate for tighter controls on urban planning.
Too often, she argues, urban planning is geared solely towards commerce and city centres are sold into
private ownership. Says Evans, 'Most cities are good at protecting their great landmarks and national
monuments, but the smaller heritage sites, the homes of lesser writers or community leaders for example, which
also give our cities a sense of common ancestry, are too often torn down by property developers and replaced
with glass towers.'
In reality, good urban planning and design is not that hard, continues Olav. 'It's definitely possible to
overthink it,' she says. 'Roads, water, sewage disposal – the unexciting but essential issues faced by every urban
centre – that's where designers should concentrate their efforts.' However, the next generation of planners might
disagree, if doctorate student Suzy Wong is representative. 'I think planning is changing very fast,' she says.
'My contemporaries want urban designs that protect the environment, not only take waste water out of the city
but treat it at the same time – that's an initiative for the future.' She also thinks there's too much repetition in
urban architecture and that planners need to conceive of architecture in far more innovative and individual
ways. Lavers, however, offers a word of caution. 'Planners live in the real world,' he says, 'or more accurately,
they each live in their own real world. It's not one size fits all. Each city is different, it has its own climate and
landscape, its own types of stone, wood and traditional building methods. All of these should be apparent in the
way each city is planned.' Given this diversity of opinion, it seems likely that debate over urban planning and
design will continue for as long as there are cities.
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TASK 2. NOW COMPLETE CLASSIFICATION TASK.
Look at the following statements (Questions 1–6) and the list of researchers below.
Match each statement with one of the researchers, A, B, C or D.
Write the correct letter A–D in boxes 1–6 on your answer sheet.
1. The focus should be on simple, universal, practical issues.

2. Conserving buildings of minor historical value is often overlooked.
3. Urban design should reflect local conditions and materials.
4. The creation of shared public spaces in cities is essential.
5. It's important to create unusual and original designs.
6. Urban planning is a unique type of design.
List of researchers
A. Dr Simon Lavers
B. Helene Olav
C. Professor Margaret Evans
D. Suzy Wong
DAY 14 TEXT – WHAT IS IN A NAME?
One of the most important tasks in marketing a new product is giving it a name. In terms of marketing,
the quality of a product is not as important as the quality of the name it is given. This is because marketing is
not about the product; it is about selling the product. Marketers use strategies such as attractive packaging,
catchy slogans, and other gimmicks to convince consumers to buy their product. The most powerful marketing
strategy; however, is giving a product a powerful name.
To be powerful, the name must be easy to remember. In the early days of computers, there were several
competing brands on the market, including Apple Il, Commodore Pet. IMSAI So8o, MITS Altair 8080, and
Radio Shack TRS-80. In those days, most buyers knew very little about computers, so they were not able to
judge the quality of one over the other. As a result, they rejected the computers with complex names. Instead,
they chose the brands that invoked familiar ideas. They chose, of course, the Apple It.
The name must also be easy to pronounce. If customers can't pronounce the name of a product, they
won't buy it. A short name is easier to remember and to pronounce. According to research done by Strategic
Name Development consultants, the best names have three or fewer syllables, such as Tums (antacid tablets),
Xerox (copiers), or Cheerios (cereal). Many well-known names are longer, of course, such as Energizer
(batteries) and Coca Cola (soft drinks), so length is not the only factor.
A product name should be unique. It shouldn't sound like the name of any other product, especially a
competing product. Shoppers tend to confuse Breyer's Ice Cream with Dreyer's lce Cream and Rolex (watches)
with Rolodex (desk indexes), for example.
In addition, an effective name should hint at what the product is used for. For example. Sleepeez is a
sleeping medication and Windex is a window cleaner. A name should also be appropriate for the type of
product it represents. Names of medicines should sound medical, names of foods should sound tasty: and names
of domestic cleaning products should sound hard-working.
An effective name also includes words, or parts of words that are positive and inviting. Sometimes, the
product name sounds like another descriptive word that has a positive meaning. The pain reliever Aleve, for
example.it sounds like "relieve." Band-Aid (a small plastic bandage) includes the word "aid." Frequently names
of products aimed at high-income consumers implicitly advertise luxury. Consider the names of these cruise
ship companies:, Crystal, Princess. Royal Caribbean. and Celebrity.
The letters within names are important, too. A survey administered by the above consultants asked
English speakers about their reactions to various letters of the alphabet. The results showed that people
associate the letters C, S, and B with something traditional, but associate the letters Q V. X, and Z with
something innovative. Additionally people in the survey associated certain letters with one sex or the other.
They considered the letters F, L, V, and W feminine, but the letters M, X, and Z masculine. It is not clear how
those surveyed might react to the automobile names Volvo, Mazda, or Lexus. Marketers must also consider
how a product name will translate in other languages if the product is exported. When the Chevrolet Nova
automobile was exported to Argentina in the 1970s, some people predicted that it would sell poorly because in
Spanish the two words "No va" mean "It doesn't go." Fortunately "nova" (a bright star) is the same word in both
Spanish and English.
Finally a name must not generate negative associations in the minds of consumers. Many words have
an implicit message as well as an explicit meaning. Why for example, has no car manufacturer named a car the
Elephant? Elephants are big, strong, and dependable, but they are also slow-moving, fat, and eat a lot. There
used to be a weight-loss product called Aids. It disappeared once AIDS became a serious illness worldwide.
Corporations put forth great effort to find the right name for a new product. They often hire consultants who
specialize in creating product names. Working with the principles above, they create several possible names.
Then, they channel the names through one or more focus too groups. These groups are made up of individuals
drawn from the sector of the population that is most likely to buy the target product, such as, dog owners,
frequent travelers, or senior citizens. When a focus group meets, they freely discuss what they like or don't like
about the possible names. Once the right name is chosen, advertisements are widely published to introduce the
new product to the buying public. Only time will tell if the important marketing decisions made earlier will be
effective in selling the product.
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TASK 2. NOW DECIDE IF THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS ARE TRUE OR FALSE.
FOR EACH ANSWER OF YOURS GIVE THE REASON WHY YOU THINK SO.
1. A powerful name helps convince consumers to buy a product.
YOUR ANSWER ________. WHY DO YOU THINK SO? _____________________________________________
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2. Early computer buyers chose a brand name that invoked high-tech innovation.
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3. The names of domestic cleaning products should sound hard-working.

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4. Many words have an implicit message as well as an explicit meaning.

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5. A survey administered by naming consultants showed that product names spelled with an X are considered
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6. A product name must be changed if the product is exported to other countries.

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7. High-income car buyers would be likely to buy a luxury car named Elephant.
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8. Naming consultants channel possible product names through focus groups drawn from the sector of the
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DAY 15 TEXT – THEY KNOW WHAT YOU WANT
With her shopping list in hand, a supermarket customer is facing the challenge of selecting a breakfast
cereal for her family The shelves are stocked with as many as 200 varieties. Should she buy wheat, corn, rice,
bran, or oat cereal? Sweetened or plain? With added vitamins? With a plastic animal in the box? (her kids
would like that.) Or should she buy the one she has a coupon' for, or the one with the funny ad on TV, or the
one that is on sale?
The shopper's ultimate choice is likely to be determined by some factor other than taste. Marketers create
gimmicks to entice shoppers to buy one product instead of another. Often these have little to do with the food
inside the boxes. They are only to attract shoppers. Marketing is a company's plan for selling a product. A
marketing plan, administered by a marketing director, includes what to name the product, how to advertise it,
how to price it, how to package it, and how to convince customers to buy it. In short, the goal of marketing is to
channel a shopper's choices toward a single, specific product.
A marketing plan often begins with a survey to determine who is most likely to buy a certain type of
product. Factors such as the sex, age, education, and income of future customers are considered. Then, a
marketing team designs a plan aimed at a specific sector of the population, the group that they think is most
likely to buy the product. Selling a perfume, a lawn mower, a ballpoint pen, and a pet food will obviously call
for different marketing techniques. Sex appeal may sell perfumes but not pens, while humor may sell pens, but
not perfumes. Reliable performance sells lawn mowers and pens, but not pet food. Rich people buy expensive
perfumes. Students buy pens. Marketing teams must consider such factors when they design a marketing
campaign.
Suppose that a company has developed an innovative new product: it is a powder made from dried
fruit. When mixed with warm water, the powder becomes a creamy fruit sauce for babies. although babies will
be the ones to eat the product, it is their parents who will buy it. "the company's marketing plan will be aimed at
the parents, specifically the mothers.
A survey indicates that most mothers have two top priorities, 1. they want their babies to be healthy: 2.
they want to be good mothers. Marketers use this information to create a name for the new baby food: Healthy
Start. They also create a marketing slogan: Give your baby a Healthy Start. This slogan has both an explicit and
an implicit message. It explicitly directs a mother to feed a healthy Start meal to her baby.
It also implies that this will make her a good mother because she will be giving her baby a healthy
start in life. The marketing team then decides how and where to sell Healthy Start baby fruit. They must decide
where to publish advertisements and what the ads should say. Maybe the ads will invoke the authority of a
famous baby doctor to emphasize the health appeal. The ads will certainly emphasize things like good taste,
easy preparation, and high nutrition. Maybe the ads will include coupons for free samples. Maybe the
marketing team will try something innovative, like offering a healthy Start college scholarship to a lucky
winner. The team must also decide if the focus will be on domestic sales or if the baby food will be exported to
foreign countries. A design company is ready designing an attractive package for the product. The marketing
team will test the name, slogan, ads, and packaging by showing them to mothers and surveying their responses.
Finally; the new product will be placed on supermarket shelves. If the marketing was effective, mothers will
select Healthy Start from is the dozens of baby foods on the shelves.
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TASK 2. NOW DECIDE IF THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS ARE TRUE OR FALSE. FOR EACH
ANSWER OF YOURS GIVE THE REASON WHY YOU THINK SO.
1. A marketing director administers a marketing plan.
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2. A marketing plan includes ways to convince shoppers to buy a product.

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3. Gender, age, income, and education are some of the factors that divide the population into different sectors.
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4. A survey of mothers indicates that they want to be happy and want their babies to be smart.
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5. A marketing slogan can have both an explicit and an implicit message.

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6. Ads published in magazines might invoke the authority of a famous woman who is also a mother.
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7. Marketing teams only think about domestic sales of their products and not about exporting them.
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DAY 16 TEXT – SEARCHING FOR NEW MEDICINES
Over time new diseases develop, that cannot be cured with the medicines we have. Also many
medicines, that once cured common diseases, sometimes lose their power to cure. For these reasons, modern
drug companies are constantly looking for new medicines, to help doctors cure both new and common diseases.
One place that drug companies are looking, is in the rainforests of the world. Scientists believe that new plants
from the rainforests or simple medicines from rainforest peoples, might be sources for future miracle drugs.
Four hundred years ago, just such a miracle drug was found to cure malaria. In 1633, a fortunate event
occurred. A Spanish priest was sent as a missionary to Peru. He wanted to minister to the native Indians there,
and convert them to his religion. While he was teaching, however, he learned something. The village healer, the
only medical practitioner the people had ever known, was making a powder from the bark of the cinchona tree.
He used this powder to cure malaria. The priest brought some of this miracle powder, home to Europe, where
malaria was a serious disease at the time. Europeans began using the bark to cure malaria. Soon Europeans
implemented overseas searches for sources of the tree bark. After many years, scientists identified the
ingredient in the tree bark, that cured malaria. It was quinine. By 1827, quinine was commercially produced and
became the primary treatment for malaria throughout the world. By the 1960s, however, quinine's ability to kill
the malaria parasite had declined, because the parasite was becoming resistant to it.
About this time, another fortunate event occurred. Scientists in China, were digging up, ancient cities.
One city was a place, where people had resided 2,000 years earlier. The scientists discovered that the ancient
people had used a plant, called wormwood, to cure fevers. Scientists collected living samples of the plant to
test. They found that wormwood contained, artemisinin. This chemical killed malaria parasites. Today,
artemisinin is used in various mixtures with other drugs, such as , Artemisinin Combination Therapy, or, ACT)
to treat people who have malaria. Aspirin is another ancient medicine. Its history dates back over 2,000 years,
when ancient Greek physicians, made a tea from willow bark, to ease pain and lower fever. People continued to
use willow bark as a home remedy for centuries. Modern scientists identified, salicylic acid, as the special
ingredient in the bark, that eased pain and fever. Soon, drug companies were making aspirin tablets containing
salicylic acid. Today, aspirin is one of the most widely used drugs in the world. Around 100 billion aspirin
tablets are produced each year.
Not all medical histories are centuries old. The story of taxol is an example of how miracle drugs are still
being found in the world's forests. In 1966, scientists discovered a powerful chemical in the bark of the Pacific
yew tree. This chemical could stop cell growth. They believed it would be useful in treating the unnatural cell
growth of cancer. Soon, taxol was being used in intensive treatments for certain kinds of cancer. Scientists think
that many medicines may still be hidden in the rainforests of the world. As a result, over 100 companies that
manufacture drugs are searching for new rainforest plants and testing them for possible medical use.
Unfortunately, access to these rainforest plants is rapidly disappearing. Logging companies are cutting down
the rainforest trees and selling the wood. Commercial developers are laboring hard to clear the land for houses,
farms, towns, and roads. Clearly the priorities of the scientists conflict with the priorities of the business people.
The scientists, want time to find plants that might cures diseases. The businesspeople want to make money from
the plants that grow there. Experts believe that about 50,000 species of plants, animals, and insects disappear
every year because rainforests are being destroyed.
Scientists fear that when rainforest species disappear, many possible cures for diseases will disappear
with them. They also fear that when rainforests disappear, the villages of native people, who reside there, will
also disappear. When the people leave, their healers also leave. These practitioners are the only individuals,
who know the secrets of healing sick people, with forest plants. In fact, most modern drugs made from plants
came from simple cures that village healers created from nearby plants. As a result, modern drug companies are
sending scientists, accompanied by local translators, to work cooperatively with these village healers, to learn
their secrets, before those secrets are lost forever. Drug companies are also sending teams of workers into the
rainforests to gather plants to test. If company scientists find a useful cure in a plant they test, they will identify
the chemicals in the plant. Then, the company can manufacture a medicine that is chemically identical. Before
rainforests disappear completely, scientists want to gather as many medical secrets as possible. Soon, however,
it may be too late, to learn the rainforest's secrets!
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1. In 1633, Indians residing in Peru treated malaria with a powder made from tree bark.
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2. Europeans had access to quinine over 2,000 years ago.
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3. The discovery of artemisinin occurred in the 1960s.
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4. Taxol is now used in the intensive treatment of malaria.
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5. Drug companies are implementing searches in the rainforests for new medicinal plants.
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6. Logging companies are cooperating with scientists by cutting down trees.
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7. The priorities of rainforest loggers conflict with the priorities of scientists.
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8. Translators accompany scientists into the rainforests to help scientists learn secrets from village healers.
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9. As rainforests disappear, the number of people living there will decline.

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DAY 17 TEXT – THE BATTLE AGAINST MALARIA
Malaria is a serious health problem. It is a leading cause of death in many countries. It occurs mostly in
tropical and subtropical parts of the world, including parts of Africa, Asia, South America, Central America,
and the Middle East. The place most intensely affected by malaria is Africa south of the Sahara Desert. About
60% of the world's malaria cases and 80% of malaria deaths occur there. Even though the causes of malaria in
this region are well understood, international health agencies are finding that controlling it is still an enormous
and difficult task.
Because malaria is passed from mosquitoes to people and from people to mosquitoes, we can think of
the disease as a cycle. The malaria cycle begins with tiny parasites that reside in the bodies of Anopheles
mosquitoes. These deadly parasites cause malaria. When a female mosquito bites a human, the mosquito draws
off blood. It also leaves malaria parasites in the human's skin. These parasites quickly multiply inside the
human and cause the individual to feel sick.
If a mosquito bites a human who is sick with malaria, parasites from the human enter the body of the
mosquito. When that mosquito bites another human, it will leave parasites in the other human's skin. In the
malaria cycle, humans get parasites from mosquitoes and they also give parasites to mosquitoes.
Becoming infected with malaria is a medical emergency. The first symptoms of malaria are fever, chills,
sweating, intense headache, and muscle pains. Nausea and vomiting often accompany these symptoms.
Immediate medical treatment must be a priority for people who are infected. They must take medicines that will
kill the parasites. If medical treatment is started soon enough, sick individuals can be cured. If they do not,
malaria can cause serious illness or even death.
Malaria in tropical Africa could be controlled in two ways. First, it could be controlled by killing the
parasites that cause the illness. If every infected person quickly took malaria medicine, most would be well in a
few days. Mosquitoes could not get malaria parasites from healthy individuals, so malaria would not spread.
Unfortunately, many people live in far-away villages without access to quick medical care. Another problem is
that the ability of quinine (the primary medicine used against malaria) to kill parasites has declined over time.
There is hope, however, for a new drug combination, called ACT. It is being used successfully to treat people
who have malaria.
Malaria could also be controlled by stopping the mosquitoes. One way would be to get rid of the pools of
water where they lay their eggs. Also, insecticide could be sprayed in wet areas and around buildings to kill
mosquitoes. Finally, people could be told to sleep under bed nets to prevent mosquitoes from biting them at
night. Bed nets sprayed with insecticide would both stop and kill mosquitoes.
It is very difficult, however, to implement these plans. People in this region are poor – and made poorer by
malaria because they may be too weak to work. They cannot afford to pay for medical care or to buy bed nets.
If they are not educated, the people may be unwilling to cooperate with government efforts to help them. Their
old beliefs about illness may conflict with modern attempts to cure or prevent malaria.
There are other problems, too. Health ministries do not have the money to build clinics or hire trained
medical practitioners. They do not have the money to buy insecticide and pay a labor force to spray regularly.
And the frequent rainfall would make it impossible to get rid of pools of water where mosquitoes lay eggs.
Helping African nations control malaria is now a top priority of many relief organizations. The World
Health Organization and Doctors Without Borders are just two of many organizations offering help – and hope
– to the people of sub-Saharan Africa.
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1. Malaria occurs mostly in tropical and subtropical parts of the world.
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2. Deadly malaria parasites reside in the bodies of mosquitos.

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3. Intense coughing and sneezing often accompany the fever of malaria.

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4. Old beliefs may conflict with modem ways to cure or prevent illness.
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5. Getting fast medical attention after becoming ill is a priority.

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6. Sleeping under bed nets would lead to a decline in malaria.
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7. Health ministries in some countries often cannot afford to implement plans to control malaria.
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8. Most people in tropical Africa have easy access to medical practitioners.
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DAY 18 TEXT – THE HISTORY OF BICYCLES
The bicycle was not invented by one individual or in one country. It took nearly 100 years and many
individuals for the modern bicycle to be born. By the end of those 100 years, bicycles had revolutionized the
way people travel from place to place.
Bicycles first appeared in Scotland in the early 1800s, and were called velocipedes. These early bicycles
had two wheels, but they had no pedals. The rider sat on a pillow and walked his feet along the ground to move
his velocipede forward.
Soon a French inventor added pedals to the front wheel. Instead of walking their vehicles, riders used
their feet to run the pedals. However, pedaling was hard because velocipedes were very heavy. The framework
was made of solid steel tubes and the wooden wheels were covered with steel. Even so, velocipedes were
popular among rich young men, who raced them in Paris parks.
Because of the velocipedes were so hard to ride, no one thought about using them for transportation.
People didn’t ride velocipedes to the market or to their jobs. Instead, people thought velocipedes were just toys.
Around 1870, American manufacturers saw that velocipedes were very popular overseas. They began
building velocipedes, too, but with one difference. They made the frameworks from hollow steel tubes. This
alteration made velocipedes much lighter, but riders still had to work hard to pedal just a short distance. In
addition, roads were bumpy so steering was difficult. In fact, most riders preferred indoor tracks where they
could rent a velocipede for a small fee and take riding lessons.
Subsequent changes by British engineers altered the wheels to make pedaling more efficient. They saw
that when a rider turned the pedals once, the front wheel turned once. If the front wheel was small, the bicycle
traveled just a small distance with each turn. They reasoned that if the front wheel were larger, the bicycle
would travel a greater distance. So they designed a bicycle with a giant front wheel. They made the rear wheel
small. Its primary purpose was to help the rider balance. Balancing was hard because the rider had to sit high
above the giant front wheel in order to reach the pedals.
This meant he was in danger of falling off the bicycle and injuring himself if he lost his balance. Despite
this inherent danger, “high wheelers” became very popular in England.
American manufacturers once again tried to design a better bicycle. Their goal was to make a safer
bicycle. They substituted a small wheel for the giant front wheel and put the driving mechanism in a r larger rear
to wheel. It would be impossible for a rider to pedal the rear wheel, so engineers designed a system of foot
levers. By pressing first the right one and then the left, the rider moved a long metal bar up and down. This bar
turned the rear axle1. This axle turned the rear wheel and the bicycle minimized the dangers inherent in bicycle
riding, more and more people began using bicycles in their daily activities.
The British altered the design one last time. They made the two wheels equal in size and created a
mechanism that uses a chain to turn the rear wheel. With this final change, the modern bicycle was born.
Subsequent improvements, such as brakes, rubber tires, and lights were added to make bicycles more
comfortable to ride. By 1900, bicycle riding had become very popular with men and women of all ages.
Bicycles revolutionized the way people worldwide ride bicycles for transportation, enjoyment, sport, and
exercise.
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1. Many individuals took part in creating the modem bicycle.
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2. The first bicycle revolutionized travel in Scotland and overseas.
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3. Early velocipedes had frameworks made of solid steel tubes.
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4. American manufacturers substituted hollow steel tubes for the solid tubes.
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5. People in Paris paid a fee to ride velocipedes to their jobs.
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6. The primary purpose of the giant front wheel was to help the rider balance.
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7. American manufacturers designed a bicycle with a small rear wheel that was inherently safer.
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8. The modern bicycle was born when British engineers subsequently altered the wheels again and made them
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DAY 19 TEXT – SEGWAY INTO THE FUTURE
Will the electric vehicle known as the Segway alter the ways that individuals get around? Dean Kamer,
the inventor of the Segway, believes that this revolutionary vehicle will someday substitute for the bicycles and
automobiles that now crowd our cities. When he introduced the Segway in 2001, he believed it would change
our lives.
Although the Segway uses up-to-the-minute technology, it looks very ordinary. The metal framework of
the Segway consists of a platform where an individual stands. Attached to the front of the platform is a tall post
with handles for the driver to hold. On each side of the platform is a wide, rubber wheel. Except for these two
wheels, there are no mechanical parts on the Segway. It has no engine, no brakes, no pedal power, no gears, and
no steering wheel. Instead it uses a computer system that imitates the ability of humans to keep their balance.
This system seems to move to the driver’s thoughts. For example, when the driver thinks “Go forward’’,
the Segway moves forwards, and when the driver thinks, “Stop’’, it stops. The Segway is not really responding
to the driver’s thoughts, but to the tiny changes in balance that the driver makes as he prepares his body to
move forward or to stop. For example, when the driver thinks about moving forward, he actually leans slightly
forward, and when he thinks of stopping or slowing, the driver leans slightly back.
The Segway is powered by batteries that allow it to travel about T7miles on one battery charge. It is
designed for short-range, low-speed operation. It has three speed settings. The slowest is the setting
for learning, with speeds of up to 6 miles per hour. Next is the sidewalk setting, with speeds of up to 9 miles
, per hour. The highest setting allows the driver to travel up to 12.5 miles per hour in open, flat areas. At all
three speed settings, the Segway can go wherever a person can walk, both indoors and outdoors.
Workers who must walk a lot in their jobs might be the primary users of Segways. For example, police
officers could drive Segways to patrol city streets, and mail carriers could drive from house to house to deliver
letters and packages. Farmers could quickly inspect distant fields and bams, and rangers, or parks. Security
guards could protect neighborhoods or large buildings.
Any task requiring a lot of walking could be made easier. In cities, shoppers could leave their cars at
home and ride Segway from store to store. Also, people who cannot comfortably walk due to age, illness, or
injury could minimize their walking but still be able to go many places on a Segway.
Why is it, then, that our job sites, parks, and shopping centers have not been subsequently filled with
Segways since they were introduced in 2001? Why hasn’t the expected revolution taken place? Studies have
shown that Segways can help workers get more done in a shorter time. This saves money. Engineers admire
Segways as a technological marvel.
Business, government agencies, and individuals, however, have been unwilling to accept the Segway.
Yes, there have been some successes. In a few cities, for example, mail carriers drive Segway on their routes,
and police officers patrol on Segways. San Francisco, California, and Florence, Italy, are among several cities
in the world that offer tours on Segways for a small fee. Occasionally you will see golfers riding Segways
around golf courses. Throughout the world more than 150 security agencies use Segways, and China has
recently entered the overseas market. These examples are encouraging, but can hardly be called a revolution.
The primary reason seems to be that people have an inherent fear of doing something new. They fear
others will laugh at them for buying a “toy’’. They fear losing control of the vehicle. They fear being injured.
They fear not knowing the rules for using a Segway. They fear making people angry if they ride on the
sidewalk. All these fears and others have kept sales low.
The inventor explained why people have been slow to accept the Segway. He said, "We didn’t realize that
although technology moves very quickly, people’s mind-set changes very slowly.” Perhaps a hundred years
from now millions of people around the world will be riding Segways.
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1. The Segway's framework consists of a platform and a post with handles.
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2. The driver can alter the direction of the Segway by leaning to the left or right.
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3. The Segway was primarily designed for individuals who cannot walk comfortably.
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4. Workers have been injured while riding Segways on their jobs.
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7. For a fee, people can take a tour on a Segway in some cities overseas.
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DAY 22 TEXT – CHAMPIONS OF THE TRACK
Researchers investigate what makes some athletes faster than others
With the next Olympics in sight, athletes, their trainers, and sports fans alike are wondering just what new
records will be set in the marathon. In this event, runners must cover a distance of just over 26 miles, and
what’s amazing is that today’s champions are running at a pace that could only be achieved for the 10,000
metres run a mere century ago. So have humans become better built in some way? Is it to do with better
nutrition or training routines? Research teams have been looking into why these accomplishments have become
possible.
Professor Eileen Atkinson is at the forefront of such studies. She has concluded that there are a number of
key factors responsible for improved speed and pace. A hundred years back, there was no such thing as training
every day. The widely held belief amongst athletes and coaches was that three or four times per week was
sufficient, otherwise athletes could risk ‘overtraining’ and actually get worse rather than better at running. In
the years since, that view has been completely rejected and the amount of training has increased: now runners
are out on the track for hours at a time, each and every day. Atkinson is also keen to point out that athletes are
no longer just from the developed world; perhaps partly due to sponsorship, athletes from developing countries
are also able to compete, and with increasing frequency, win.
Atkinson and her team have also looked at what kind of treadmill times first-class athletes have achieved in
the past and now. What they have found is that there is very little difference between current and previous
generations when it comes to performance on a running machine. So why the big difference on the track?
Atkinson puts it down to the fact that the design and construction of racetracks have come a long way, and sport
shoe technology has seen similar improvement. Both these developments could be giving today’s runners an
edge. Atkinson’s team have also been carefully measuring the oxygen consumption of athletes compared to
non-athletes while on treadmills. In top athletes, the maximal oxygen uptake (the maximum capacity for
oxygen consumption) will be far higher than the capacity of non-athletes, meaning that cardiac output, the
amount of blood pumped per minute, will also be better. This all helps indicate a runner’s level of aerobic
fitness.
Another interesting aspect of successful marathon running that Atkinson explored was the impact of ageing
on performance. Although the generally held view is that peak performance is normally achieved somewhere
between the mid-twenties to mid-thirties, and that runners will experience a decline thereafter, this is an
average, and not necessarily true for all individuals. Some runners in their forties, even fifties, are able to go the
distance due to their commitment to tough training programmes. In other words, there is no set point at which
an athlete should announce retirement.
Atkinson is also keen to dispel another popular myth. The belief that there is a specific gene that guarantees
athletic superiority is an idea that has no scientific foundation. Many genes play a role in enhancing athletic
performance, but the likelihood of any one person having the exact grouping of genes required to become a
natural champion is minimal. Rather, for many young athletes, it comes down to internal motivation and
external incentives.
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TASK 2. NOW COMPLETE THE SENTENCES WITH APROPRIATE ENDINGS.
Questions 1–5
Complete each sentence with the correct ending, A–G, below.
Write the correct letter A–G below.
1. It is wrong to assume that runners’ performances
2. The speeds of modern runners compared to earlier runners
3. The amount of oxygen the best runners can utilise during a race
4. The chances of older runners performing well in a race
5. The combination of genes in an individual runner
Endings:
A. can be linked to the performance of their hearts.
B. may depend on what running style they adopt.
C. will probably not play a role in their overall success.
D. might be better because of superior equipment and facilities.
E. can be weakened through daily practice.
F. will gradually decrease over long distances.
G. will depend on how hard they continue to train.
DAY 21 TEXT – SUGAR AND SOCIETY
How has sugar impacted on human development and health?
The use of sugar and sugar production goes back to ancient times. On the island of New Guinea, where
sugar cane was domesticated some 10,000 years ago, people picked cane and ate it raw. Sugar spread from
island to island in the south-western Pacific Ocean, finally reaching the Asian mainland around 1000 B.C. By
A.D. 500 it was being processed into a powder in India and used among other things to treat headaches and
stomach problems. For years, sugar refinement remained a secret science, passed from master to apprentice. By
A.D. 600 the art had spread to Persia, and then when Arab armies conquered the region, they carried away the
knowledge and love of sugar, and turned the art into an industry. The work was brutally difficult, however. By
A.D. 1500, with the demand for sugar surging, the work was considered suitable only for the lowest of
labourers.
The sugar that eventually reached the West was consumed only by the very wealthy as it was so rare. The
European ‘Age of Exploration’, the search for new land that would send Europeans all around the world, was in
reality, to no small degree, a hunt for fields where sugar cane would prosper in the tropical temperatures and
rainfall. In 1425 the Portuguese prince known as Henry the Navigator sent sugar cane to Madeira with an early
group of colonists. The crop soon made its way to other newly discovered Atlantic islands. Then, in September
1493, when Christopher Columbus set off from Spain on his second voyage to the Americas, he too carried
cane. Thus dawned the age of big sugar production in the Caribbean islands.
As more cane was planted, the price of the product fell, and as the price fell, demand increased. Economists
call it a ‘virtuous cycle’ – not a phrase you would use if you were one of the millions of slaves involved in
production. In the mid-17th century sugar began to change from a luxury spice to a staple part of the diet: first
for the middle class, then for the poor. There was no stopping the boom. In 1700 the average Englishman
consumed four pounds a year. Today the average American consumes 77 pounds of added sugar annually, or
more than 22 teaspoons of added sugar a day.
‘It seems like every time I study an illness and trace a path to the first cause, I find my way back to sugar,’
says Richard Johnson, a nephrologist at the University of Colorado Denver. ‘Why is it that one-third of adults
[worldwide] have high blood pressure, when in 1900 only 5% had high blood pressure?’ he asks. ‘Why did 153
million people have diabetes in 1980, and now we’re up to 347 million? Sugar, we believe, is one of the
culprits, if not the major culprit.’ This is hardly a novel theory. In the 1960s the British nutrition expert John
Yudkin conducted a series of experiments on animals and people showing that high amounts of sugar in the diet
led to high levels of fat and insulin in the blood – risk factors for heart disease and diabetes. But Yudkin’s
message was drowned out by a chorus of other scientists blaming the rising rates of obesity and heart disease
instead on cholesterol caused by too much saturated fat in the diet.
As a result, fat makes up a smaller portion of the American diet than it did 20 years ago. Yet the portion of
America that is obese has only grown larger. The primary reason, says Johnson, along with other experts, is
sugar, and in particular fructose. Sucrose, or table sugar, is composed of equal amounts of glucose and fructose,
the latter being the kind of sugar you find naturally in fruit. It’s also what manufacturers use to give table sugar
its sweetness, and which is found in large quantities in soft drinks and candy. Johnson summed up the
conventional wisdom this way: Americans are obese because they eat too much and exercise too little. But they
eat too much and exercise too little because they’re addicted to sugar, which not only makes them fatter but also
reduces their energy.
The solution? Stop eating so much sugar. When people cut back, many of the ill effects disappear. The
trouble is, in today’s world it’s extremely difficult to avoid sugar: manufacturers use sugar to replace taste in
foods low in fat so that they seem more healthful. But if sugar is so bad for us, why do we crave it? The short
answer is that an injection of sugar into the bloodstream stimulates the pleasure centres of the brain. All tasty
foods do this to some extent— but sugar has a sharply pronounced effect. In this sense it is literally addictive.
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Questions 1–6
Choose the correct answer, A, B, C or D.
1. What are we told about sugar production in ancient times?

A. It became physically less demanding as production methods improved.
B. The Arabs simplified the way the Persians had produced sugar.
C. It was a process that producers did not wish to share with other people.
D. India produced sugar mainly for medicinal purposes rather than dietary ones.
2. What does the writer suggest about the ‘Age of Exploration’?
A. It led to a new understanding of how sugarcane would best grow.
B. It was partly motivated by the need to develop the sugar industry.
C. It was a time when it was easy to persuade people to invest in sugar.
D. It probably resulted in the development of new kinds of sugar.
3. What is the writer’s main point in the third paragraph?
A. Sugar has changed from being a rare food item to an everyday one.
B. People in lower socio-economic groups are now the highest consumers of sugar.
C. Most people are unaware of how the sugar industry once exploited workers.
D. Economists in the 17th century failed to predict how the demand for sugar would grow.
4. The writer refers to John Yudkin’s experiments in order to show
A. when the connection between sugar and heart disease was established.
B. that using animals to predict human reaction to sugar is an unreliable method.
C. that scientists are likely to alter their opinions on the effects of sugar in the future.
D. how there is a need for further research into the combined effects on health of fat and sugar.
5. What is the writer doing in the fifth paragraph?
A. calling for greater responsibility on the part of manufacturers
B. questioning the value of high fruit consumption to people’s health
C. comparing the benefits of natural sugar to its processed form
D. explaining the nature and consequences of a particular cycle
6. Which of the following best summarises the writer’s argument in the final paragraph?
A. It is naturally harder for some people to reduce their sugar intake than others.
B. Sugar is frequently used to disguise the unpleasant taste of certain foods.
C. The human brain is designed to have a positive response to sugar.
D. Consumers are easily misled about the true sugar content in products.
DAY 20 TEXT – THE FUTURE OF COAL
Can this source of energy ever be made cleaner?
Coal currently provides an estimated 40% of the world’s electricity, and with that, millions
of jobs for people working in the sector. It also produces 39% of global carbon dioxide, and
causes serious health problems for many urban populations. As a source of energy, it provides
us with heat and power, but it is often a disaster for local environments and the global climate.
The big question is not how we can make coal clean, which is impossible, but how to make it
cleaner. In the USA, the Clean Air Act was a law that was introduced to reduce the emission of
sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides from factories and power plants. The consequent
reductions have been dramatic, showing that laws like this can and do make a difference.
Unfortunately, less progress has been made with carbon dioxide regulations. Last year 34.5
billion metric tons of carbon dioxide were emitted from fossil fuels, the highest amount on
record, with coal contributing the most.
Cheap natural gas has recently reduced the demand for coal in the USA, but elsewhere
demand is rising. Over the next twenty years several hundred million people worldwide will
gain access to electricity for the first time, and it is likely that most of them will use power
produced by coal. American Electric Power’s Mountaineer Plant in West Virginia supplies
electricity to 1.3 million customers across seven states. Those customers pay relatively little to
power the contents of their households: refrigerators, washers, dryers, flat screens and lights,
but neither they nor any American power company have to pay anything for the right to pollute
the atmosphere. However, to their credit, Mountaineer did carry out an experiment in
containing the carbon they produced. Through a complex chemical process, they were able to
compress over 37,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide and inject it into a large area of sandstone a
mile below ground level. It was a successful system and they had planned to develop the project
further to increase the amount of carbon dioxide that they could capture. However, they were
unable to obtain the financial investment they needed from the United States Department of
Energy, due to a change in climate change legislation, and they were forced to abandon it.
Trapping carbon dioxide underground is nothing new, however. Other companies in North
America and Norway have also been experimenting with this for the last few decades. Although
some voices in the media have expressed concerns about the possibility of a sudden and
catastrophic leak of carbon dioxide – which would be lethal to people and animals – the risk of
this happening is extremely low. More worrying would be smaller leaks occurring over long
periods of time that would defeat the purpose of storage. The task ahead, then, is to make
carbon capture more efficient, and countries such as China are keen to make this happen. In
Tianjin, about 85 miles from Beijing, a power plant called GreenGen is China’s first power
plant designed to capture 80% of its emissions, and likewise, in the U.S. a new power plant in
eastern Mississippi has also come up with the technology to capture a high proportion of carbon
dioxide. Technological innovation is only half a solution, though. It won’t be adopted by other
power companies until governments require it, for instance, by imposing a tax on the carbon
that plants emit. This may be a small price to pay for the sake of our future.

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TASK 2. NOW DECIDE IF THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS ARE TRUE / FALSE OR NOT
GIVEN.
Questions 1–6
Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in the Reading Passage?
You should write
YES if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer
NO if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this
1. The Clean Air Act has been disappointing in what it has achieved so far.
2. The use of natural gas in the USA is likely to soon overtake the use of coal.
3. People need to be more responsible in the way they use power in their homes.
4. It was Mountaineer’s own choice to give up its carbon dioxide storage project.
5. There is only a small chance that stored carbon dioxide might escape from below ground.
6. Carbon-storage technology will only spread if the government makes it compulsory
DAY 23 TEXT – THE AMAZING BRAINS OF BABIES
Recent scientific techniques have challenged our beliefs about the way that babies think.
In the past three decades remarkable discoveries have been made about the way babies think and the
development of their brains. It was previously thought in the scientific community that babies and young
children were amoral and therefore unable to understand the perspective of other people, and that they were
also quite irrational; unable to make sense of the world around them. However, new scientific techniques have
proved otherwise. From an evolutionary point of view, one of the most fascinating things about humans is that
they take a very long time to develop all the skills and knowledge required to survive independently of their
parent. In other words, humans experience a far longer childhood than any other species. Nevertheless, this
does, in fact, benefit them in the long run.
Of course, the young of some animal species can fend for themselves within hours or days of being born.
Known as ‘precocial’ species, these animals enter the world with specific innate capabilities that allow them to
survive in a particular set of environmental circumstances. They can move with agility, search for food, and
avoid predators intuitively – without conscious thought. In other words, they just know what to do. ‘Altricial’
species behave rather differently. They must learn how to coordinate their limbs, need feeding by their parents,
and must be protected from enemies. But while all this is happening, learning is still occurring in their very
flexible brains. Neurons, or nerve cells as they are also known, are the cells in the brain that process and
transmit information through electrical and chemical signals. These signals between neurons happen via
synapses, specialized connections with other cells. It is now known that the brains of babies have many more
connections between neurons than adults. The area of the brain called the prefrontal cortex takes a particularly
long time to develop, however. In an adult, this region allows a person to focus on achieving internal goals, and
to work out which actions are most likely to achieve them quickly and effectively. It is also the area which
allows a person to control their feelings and moderate their social behaviour. On the surface, therefore, it may
seem that the slow development of the prefrontal cortex is a disadvantage,
but actually it may aid the process of learning. The prefrontal cortex also restricts irrelevant thoughts or
behaviours, and in a baby, because they are uninhibited in this way, it may encourage them to explore freely
and learn flexibly, giving them an eventual advantage over other species.
What are the implications of this for the way we raise our young children? Science has certainly
demonstrated how vitally important a child’s early years are, and some policy makers have responded to this by
insisting on the establishment of early education programmes and continual testing. Many parents are also
anxious to give their children a head start by enrolling them in extra classes and paying for out-of-school
tuition. Yet science suggests that children learn best from normal daily interaction with other people and things,
and from playful exploration of their environment within a safe setting. This is when all those neurons get
excited the most.
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TASK 2. NOW COMPLETE SUMMARY COMPLETION TASK.
Questions 1–6
Complete the summary using the list of words, A–I, below.
Write the correct letter, A–I, below.
How babies think
Thirty years ago, scientists believed that human babies lacked 1 ............. and had no sense
of right and wrong. Today the common belief is quite different. Scientists have realised that
human babies’ period of 2 ............. has an evolutionary advantage. Unlike precocial
species which are born with 3 ............. , humans belong to altricial species which rely on
gradual learning to function well as adults. In humans, the prefrontal cortex, responsible for
efficient action and 4 ............. , takes a particularly long time to develop. This slow development of the
prefrontal cortex, however, allows 5 ............. in babies instead. What some scientists have concluded, is that the
most effective learning in young children occurs when they take part in as many 6 ............. as possible.
A emotional balance B academic situations C instinctive abilities

D communication strategies E basic logic F everyday experiences
G extended immaturity H creative thinking I intellectual development
DAY 24 TEXT – THE HISTORY OF COLOUR
How the invention of synthetic colour changed our world
Today, in the urban centres of the 21st century, we are surrounded by a vast spectrum of colours that once
only occurred within the natural world. We now take it for granted that the products that we buy and the
packaging they are presented in will be available in our preferred shade or tone. Colourful man-made objects
have become so ubiquitous that it requires a stretch of the imagination to conceive of a time when such a range
did not exist, but until the mid-19th century, this was indeed the case.
It was the ancient civilizations of China, Rome, Persia, India and Egypt where the craft of dyeing fabric was
developed; an often complicated and labour-intensive process. Dyes that were derived from vegetables were
usually cheaper and more easily obtainable than ones derived from animals. The roots of a plant called madder
were used to create a strong red colour, and the leaves of the indigo shrub produced a colour between blue and
violet. Saffron and turmeric plants, now used to colour and flavour food, once created yellow and orange hues
for cloth. Because of the scarcity of certain sources or the complexity of production, some colours were only
worn by very wealthy people or royalty, for example, purple which originated in the Mediterranean and was a
dye created from the secretions of sea snails; and black, coming from oak or chestnut wood, which indicated
high status in 14th century Europe. In the 15th century, South America began exporting large quantities of a
dye called carmine to Europe; this deep crimson-red colour was derived from the crushed bodies and eggs of
the cochineal beetle. Carmine remains a major component of food colouring and cosmetics even now.
Although dyeing methods had evolved over the millennia, the use of natural sources would always be
impractical; there was no guarantee that the colour of dyed material would be consistent or that the material,
when exposed to the sun, would not suffer from fading over a period of time. Furthermore, it would often take
months to produce a relatively small quantity of fabric, an insufficient supply for growing populations. In the
19th century, the expanding European textile industry created a need for larger quantities of cheaper and more
adaptable dyes. It was a young English chemist, William Henry Perkin, who responded to this need, quite by
accident. In 1856, he was experimenting in his laboratory, with the aim of synthesising the drug quinine, used
to help people suffering from malaria. One of the chemical compounds he was testing was aniline. From this,
he obtained a black solid, and then isolated a dye that could colour silk purple. The dyed silk did not fade in the
sun and did not wash out. Perkin had thus created the first synthetic dye. He built a factory to manufacture the
dye on an industrial scale, and developed a technique to apply the dye to cotton materials that could be made
into dresses and accessories. The new colour, which Perkins named ‘Aniline Purple’, quickly became
fashionable and much in demand, both in Britain and overseas. Due to its growing reputation in France, Perkins
made a sensible marketing decision and changed the name to ‘mauve’, after the French word for the purple
mallow flower. Perkin’s discovery not only inspired other scientists and researchers to experiment with
synthetic colours, but also demonstrated to manufacturers that colour novelty could be used to attract
customers. Now, when it comes to establishing a brand, it is often the use of colour or a colour combination that
speaks to potential buyers, and it is colour which often determines consumer choice.
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TASK 2. NOW COMPLETE SUMMARY COMPLETION TASK.
Questions 1–8
Complete the summary below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers 1–8 below.
Summary
The craft of dyeing has been practised since ancient times. Early civilizations found it was more
difficult to get dyes from 1 ................... than from plants, and so it was plants that they tended to rely on,
sometimes using roots but also the 2 ..............., depending on the species, and whether they wanted red, blue,
yellow or orange dye. Some colours were traditionally worn only by 3 ................ or the very rich, such as
purple and black. By the 15th century, a crimson-red dye, which is still used in 4 ................. and to add colour
to food products, was imported by Europe from South America. However, there were various problems with
using natural sources; it was never certain that the exact same colour would appear in dyed material; gradual 5
............... was likely to occur, and quantities of the dyed material were never enough to meet demand.
Fortunately, in 1856, while chemist William Henry Perkin was attempting to find a way of treating 6
.................. , he accidentally discovered that a purple dye can be obtained from the chemical aniline. His purple-
dyed fabrics made of 7 ............... quickly became popular, and he ended up calling his synthesized colour
‘mauve’. Companies now rely heavily on colour to make their 8 .................. known to people, and to persuade
them to buy.
DAY 25 TEXT – RISING SEAS
As the planet warms, the sea rises. Coastlines flood. What will we protect? What will we abandon? How will
we face the danger of rising seas?
An extremely altered planet is what our fossil-fuel-driven civilization is creating, a planet where massive
flooding will become more common and more destructive for the world’s coastal cities. By releasing carbon
dioxide and other heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere, we have warmed the Earth by more than a full
degree Fahrenheit over the past century and raised sea level by about eight inches. This warming of our planet
affects sea level in two ways. About a third of its rise comes from thermal expansion – from the fact that water
grows in volume as it warms. The rest comes from the melting of ice on land. So far it’s been mostly mountain
glaciers, but for the future the big concern is the giant ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica. These areas
combined have lost on average about 50 cubic miles of ice each year since 1992. Many think sea level will be at
least three feet higher than today by 2100. Even that figure might be too low.
Coastal cities now face a twin threat: rising oceans will gradually flood low-lying areas, and higher seas will
extend the destructive reach of storm surges. Using a conservative prediction of a half meter (20 inches) of sea-
level rise, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) estimates that by 2070, 150
million inhabitants of the world’s large port cities will be at risk from coastal flooding, along with $35 trillion
worth of property, an amount that will equal 9 % of the global GDP. How will they cope?
Malcolm Bowman, a physical oceanographer at the State University of New York, has been trying for years
to persuade anyone who will listen that New York City needs greater protection from flooding. He proposes
two barriers: one constructed at Throgs Neck, to keep floods from Long Island Sound out of the East River, and
a second one spanning the harbor south of the city. Gates would be adjusted for ships and tides, closing only
during storms. Another way to safeguard New York might be to revive a bit of its past, according to landscape
architect Kate Orff. She explains how the islands and shallows along the coastline vanished long ago,
demolished by harbor-dredging and landfill projects that added new real estate to a growing city. Orff suggests
that throughout the harbor, there would be dozens of artificial reefs built from stone, rope, and wood pilings and
seeded with oysters and other shellfish. These would continue to grow as sea levels rose, helping to lessen the
impact of storm waves – and the shellfish, being filter feeders, would also help clean the harbor. ‘25 % of New
York Harbor used to be oyster beds,’ Orff says.
The Netherlands has taken other approaches to the issue of flooding. In Rotterdam, Arnoud
Molenaar is the manager of the city’s Climate Proof program, which aims to make Rotterdam
resistant to future sea levels. He describes the assorted flood-control structures that have been
constructed there, including an underground car park designed to hold 10,000 cubic meters – more than 2.5
million gallons – of rainwater. He also mentions Rotterdam’s Floating Pavilion, a group of three connected,
transparent domes on a platform in a harbor off the Meuse river. These are about three storeys tall, and made of
a plastic that’s a hundred times as light as glass. Though used for meetings and exhibitions, their main purpose
is to demonstrate the wide potential of floating urban architecture. By 2040 the city anticipates that as many as
1,200 homes will float in the harbor.
Among the most vulnerable low-lying cities in the U.S. is Miami in the state of Florida. There is no obvious
engineering solution to flooding on this peninsula as it sits on top of a foundation of highly porous limestone –
meaning that sea water just flows through the foundation, gradually eroding it.
Even now, during unusually high tides, seawater spouts from sewers in Miami Beach, Fort
Lauderdale, and other cities, flooding streets. In a state exposed to hurricanes as well as rising
seas, people like John Van Leer, an oceanographer at the University of Miami, worry that one day they will no
longer be able acquire insurance for their houses. ‘If buyers can’t insure it, they can’t get a mortgage on it. And
if they can’t get a mortgage, you can only sell to cash buyers,’ Van Leer says. ‘What I’m looking for is a
climate-change denier with a lot of money.’
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TASK 2. NOW COMPLETE SENTENCE COMPLETION TASK.
Questions 1–8
Complete the sentences below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
1. The process of ..................... is one reason why sea levels are rising.
2. In the future, it is the water released from enormous ..................... that may contribute most to rising sea
levels.
3. The OECD is concerned about the impact of flooding on coastline ....................., as well as
people living in port cities.
4. Malcolm Bowman has proposed erecting some ..................... to reduce the effects of flooding in New York
City.
5. Kate Orff believes that ..................... would prevent flooding and lead to a cleaner harbour.
6. In Rotterdam, rainwater can be contained in a massive ..................... built below ground level.
7. Plastic ..................... in Rotterdam give an idea of how flood-proof buildings could be designed.
8. In Miami, people may no longer be able to get house ....................., which limits the number of potential
buyers.
DAY 26 TEXT – WHAT SECRETS LIE BENEATH THE WATERS OF THE RHÔNE?
No one ever suspected that an ancient Roman ship – a long wooden barge –
had been preserved in the most powerful river of France.
The Romans needed millions of curvy clay jars called amphorae to ship wine, olive oil, and fish sauce
around the empire, and often didn’t use them more than once. During the first century A.D. in the town of
Arles, on the Rhône River in what is now southern France, the workers unloading this kind of cargo threw the
empty amphorae into the river.
Nowadays, the Rhône is the most powerful river in France. Most people cannot imagine wanting to dive
into it. Neither could archaeologist Luc Long, at first, but once he discovered the amphorae, his future opened
before him. He’s been investigating the Roman dump ever since. For the first 20 years or so, neither the local
authorities nor the general public paid much attention to what he was doing. But while diving in 2004, he
noticed a mass of wood swelling from the mud at a depth of 13 feet. It turned out to be the aft port side of a
102-foot-long barge. The barge was almost intact; most of it was still buried under the layers of mud and
amphorae that had sheltered it for nearly 2000 years. Long and a colleague sawed a section out of the exposed
part, which the colleague analysed in minute detail. In 2007, three younger archaeologists, Sabrina Marlier,
David Djaoui, and Sandra Greck, took over the study of the barge, which by now Long had named Arles-
Rhône 3.
As they began diving onto the wreck of the barge that year, Long proceeded with his survey of the rest of
the dump and started finding pieces of the town: monumental blocks of stone and also statues. Word began to
leak out. The French customs police warned Long that antiquities thieves might be watching his operation.
When his divers found a life-size statue of Neptune, god of the sea and sailors, they brought it up at night.
Before that diving season was out, another statue was discovered: a marble bust that looked like Julius Caesar.
Portraits of Caesar are surprisingly rare.
This one might be the only surviving one that was sculpted while he was alive. ‘You have to understand,’
said Claude Sintes, the director of the Arles antiquities museum, ‘Arles is a small town. The locomotive
workshop closed in 1984, the rice mill and the paper mill within the past decade. What’s left is mostly tourism.
The tourists come in part for Van Gogh, who painted here for a time. But the town sits on deposits of the
Roman past—you can’t sink a shovel into your garden without hitting a Roman stone or tile.’ The exhibition,
later built around the bust of Caesar, after news of it spread around the world, showed that some of the
excavated artefacts were commercial grade. ‘The exhibition’s success was astonishing,’ Sintes said. ‘When a
modest town like ours got 400,000 visitors, the politicians understood that the economic return was strong.’
By the fall of 2010, those officials were looking for more culture to invest in. Suddenly nine million euros
became available to build a new wing on Sintes’s museum and put a Roman barge into it. There was just one
catch. The project would need to be completed by 2013. That sounds like enough time unless you know about
ancient wood. Mud had protected the wood of Arles-Rhône 3 from microbial decay, but water had dissolved the
cellulose and filled the wood’s cells, leaving the whole boat soft and spongy. If the water evaporated, the whole
barge would collapse. The solution was to bathe the wood for months in polyethylene glycol, then freeze-dry it.
But the barge would have to be cut into sections small enough to fit into the freeze-dryers. And the process
would take nearly two years. That left only one excavation season, 2011, to extract the boat from the Rhône,
and usually the Rhône is safe for diving only from late June to October; otherwise the current is too strong.
Three or four months would not be enough to excavate Arles-Rhône 3. Then 2011 arrived. It hardly snowed in
the Alps that winter; that spring it barely rained. The Rhône’s current was so gentle that Sabrina Marlier’s team
got in the water by early May. Her team worked straight into November and completed the job.
When Arles-Rhône 3 sank, it was carrying 33 tons of building stones. They were flat, irregular slabs of
limestone, from three to six inches thick. The boat was pointed upstream, indicating it had been tied up at the
quay when it sank. A flash flood had probably swamped it. As the flood subsided, the cloud of sediment it had
kicked up settled out of the water again, draping the barge in a layer of fine clay no more than eight inches
thick. In that clay, in contact with the boat, Marlier and her team found the crew’s personal effects. A sickle
they’d used to chop fuel for their cooking fire, with a few wood splinters next to the blade. A plate and a gray
pitcher that belonged to the same man both bore the initials AT. ‘That’s what’s exceptional about this boat,’
said Marlier. ‘We’re missing the captain at the helm. But otherwise we have everything.’
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TASK 2. NOW COMPLETE LIST SELECTION TASK.
Questions 1 and 2
Choose TWO letters, A–E.
The list below gives some of the possible reasons why Luc Long’s excavation work in the Rhône was
challenging.
Which TWO of these reasons are mentioned by the writer of the text?
A. the local authorities’ restrictions on certain projects in the river
B. the competitive attitudes of other archaeologists working in the area
C. the possibility of excavated items being stolen
D. the fact that any excavation would interrupt tourist activities
E. the need to complete a particular project within a given time
1 ..........
2 ..........
Questions 3 and 4
Choose TWO letters, A–E.
Which TWO of the following statements are true of the Roman boat?
A. It had been constructed in a way that was unusual for Roman times.
B. It had been broken into several parts by the force of the mud it was under.
C. It was excavated so it could bring economic benefit to the area.
D. It was carrying a kind of cargo for which it had not been originally designed.
E. It contained more preserved items than are normally found on an excavated boat
3 ..........
4 ..........
DAY 27 TEXT – BUILDING CITIES RIGHT
How do we plan and design the best urban environments?
Researchers have estimated that sometime in 2007, more than 50% of the human race lived in cities for the
first time in history. In this sense then, most of us are urban dwellers: our home, the place we know best in the
world, is a city. Yet despite this widespread familiarity with the urban environment, the issues involved in town
planning and design are hugely complex and sometimes misunderstood, according to Dr Simon Lavers, a senior
lecturer in urban planning and management at the Millennium Institute. 'I can think of no other form of design
that incorporates such a broad range of factors,' he says. 'It comprises a huge number of sometimes conflicting
considerations – economic, political, legal, cultural, aesthetic.' Part of the problem, Lavers believes, is that
governments pass too many laws regulating design issues, leaving the planning process inflexible and
bureaucratic.
'There's something very symbolic about that majority figure,' says Helene Olav, a research fellow at the
Institute for Urban Affairs, referring to the fact that over 50% of people now live in cities. In fact, in many
countries it's more like 80%. 'Urban life is a fundamentally human experience,' says Olav, 'but in some cities it
doesn't necessarily feel like it. Urban planners need to incorporate this reality at the heart of their designs,
creating urban facilities intended for all residents, whether that be galleries, museums, recreational centres, or
open areas such as parks and squares.' A similar point is made by Professor Margaret Evans, a long-time
advocate for tighter controls on urban planning.
Too often, she argues, urban planning is geared solely towards commerce and city centres are sold into
private ownership. Says Evans, 'Most cities are good at protecting their great landmarks and national
monuments, but the smaller heritage sites, the homes of lesser writers or community leaders for example, which
also give our cities a sense of common ancestry, are too often torn down by property developers and replaced
with glass towers.'
In reality, good urban planning and design is not that hard, continues Olav. 'It's definitely possible to
overthink it,' she says. 'Roads, water, sewage disposal – the unexciting but essential issues faced by every urban
centre – that's where designers should concentrate their efforts.' However, the next generation of planners might
disagree, if doctorate student Suzy Wong is representative. 'I think planning is changing very fast,' she says.
'My contemporaries want urban designs that protect the environment, not only take waste water out of the city
but treat it at the same time – that's an initiative for the future.' She also thinks there's too much repetition in
urban architecture and that planners need to conceive of architecture in far more innovative and individual
ways. Lavers, however, offers a word of caution. 'Planners live in the real world,' he says, 'or more accurately,
they each live in their own real world. It's not one size fits all. Each city is different, it has its own climate and
landscape, its own types of stone, wood and traditional building methods. All of these should be apparent in the
way each city is planned.' Given this diversity of opinion, it seems likely that debate over urban planning and
design will continue for as long as there are cities.
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TASK 2. NOW COMPLETE LIST SELECTION TASK.
Questions 1–6
Look at the following statements (Questions 1–6) and the list of researchers below.
Match each statement with one of the researchers, A, B, C or D.
Write the correct letter A–D in boxes 1–6 on your answer sheet.
1. The focus should be on simple, universal, practical issues.

2. Conserving buildings of minor historical value is often overlooked.
3. Urban design should reflect local conditions and materials.
4. The creation of shared public spaces in cities is essential.
5. It's important to create unusual and original designs.
6. Urban planning is a unique type of design.
List of researchers
A. Dr Simon Lavers
B. Helene Olav
C. Professor Margaret Evans
D. Suzy Wong
DAY 28 TEXT – CLASSIC STYLE
For a few short years, fins were in fashion on American cars.
It's rare to see fins on the back of motor cars today – those raised, stylish extrusions on the car's rear end
that once made each model unique. But for a decade or two in the years after the Second World War, the
inclusion of ever more extravagant and ostentatious fins was the height of fashion among American car
designers and the must-have automotive accessory for the discerning car buyer.
It started in 1947 when chief of styling at the car-making firm of General Motors, Harley Earl, developed
the entirely new notion of attaching fins to the back of the company's motor cars, typically on the edges of the
trunk, or boot, running down to the vehicle's brake lights. Earl had been inspired by the twin tail fins he had
seen on the Lightning fighter planes used during the war and instructed General Motors' team of designers to
play around with the same concept. The designers liked the idea immediately – perhaps unsurprisingly, could
there be any better symbol of speed and power?
And after some experimentation, the first General Motors' Cadillac was released the following year sporting
a pair of relatively modest fins. The effect was immediate: the public loved the new innovation – the young and
young at heart especially – and competing firms were forced quite literally to go back to the drawing board. So,
in the 1950s, a race began between American car manufacturers to see who could produce cars with the most
pronounced, extreme and even outlandish fins. It seemed almost impossible to overdo it as consumers rushed to
the showroom to buy the latest model and keep one step ahead.
It's necessary to understand the culture of the times in America if one is to truly comprehend exactly why it
was that fins became so popular. After all, they served no practical purpose whatsoever; these were not the
'spoilers' or similar appendages that were later attached to cars to improve aerodynamics, road handling and fuel
economy. They existed simply to amplify the shape of the car, to accentuate its curves, speed and style. And as
such, fins would have been quite unthinkable in earlier times – the Great Depression of the 1920s most
obviously. But in the 1950s and 60s the American people were filled with a sense of national optimism, because
theirs was a young country, the economy was booming and their place in the world was assured. Furthermore,
iron ore was cheap, as were the coal and oil necessary to turn it into steel, so car production costs were a
fraction of what they are today. The result was some truly extravagant cars: General Motors' Firebird III had no
fewer than nine fins – still a world record – while the nearly six-metre long Eldorado might not have had so
many but the tallest was nearly 300mm high.
Of course, it couldn't last. By the 1980s, American society had become concerned about a wide range of
issues including petrol consumption, road safety and car-affordability. In short, people wanted a different type
of car. The result was that the Federal Government passed a number of new laws that transformed the
automotive industry. Cars undoubtedly became safer and greener, but some of the flair and individualism has
arguably been lost along the way, as so many models of cars all around the world today look remarkably
similar. And one final point to note: it would be very easy to see the fashion for fins as an oddly human
extravagance, but there may actually be a parallel in nature. In 1998, Chinese researchers found a fossil, deep
beneath the ground, of a species they named the abnormal shrimp. This was a two-metre long predator with five
eyes and mouth parts on the end of a prehensile proboscis. What's more, on its tail, it had a series of fins to
which the researchers have been able to attribute no practical purpose whatsoever.
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TASK 2. NOW COMPLETE SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS.
Questions 1–6
Answer the questions below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer.
1. In 1947 Cadillac cars copied the fins on what type of transport?
2. What did car companies take part in during the 1950s?
3. What feeling in America did car makers exploit in the 1950s and 1960s?
4. Which model of car had the most number of fins ever?
5. In the 1980s, what was introduced to make motoring more expensive?
6. According to Chinese research in 1998, what creature once had fins?
DAY 29 TEXT – CHARLES-MARIE DE LA CONDAMINE
The man who helped measure the shape of the world
Although ordinary people may have thought so, few scientists had ever really believed that the
world was flat. And certainly, by the beginning of the eighteenth century, they agreed without
exception that it was round. There was still some minor disagreement, however, about exactly what being
'round' meant in this context. Some said the planet was a perfect sphere, like a ball. Others thought it might be
generally round, but with some irregularities. The English scientist Sir Isaac Newton argued that the Earth
bulged outwards around the equator. On the other hand, the French astronomer royal, Jacques Cassini, believed
that the planet was stretched out at the north and south poles, making it shaped more like an egg. The debate
was partly just a reflection of the way England and France competed about many things at the time, but it was
also a serious question that affected how maps and sailing charts were drawn, and therefore the safety of sailors
at sea. So in 1734 the French Academy of Sciences decided to measure the Earth's shape. An expedition under
Pierre de Maupertius would travel close to the North Pole, and another under Charles-Marie de la Condamine
would travel to the equator. Both expeditions would survey the shape of the Earth's surface and then compare
findings. After a long voyage, Condamine reached Peru in South America, where the scientific experiments
began. His team climbed high into the mountains to take measurements using surveying equipment and then
descended to the desert plains to continue their work. Finally, after four years' work – more than twice the time
the leader had intended – the survey work was complete. As part of their research, they had built small
pyramids made of rock as permanent features from which to take certain measurements, and their remains can
still be seen today as monuments to the expedition. When Condamine's team returned to France, the Earth was
found to be slightly wider between the poles than when measured through its centre at the equator.
Condamine and Maupertius were now counted as among the most eminent scientists in Europe.
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TASK 2. NOW COMPLETE TRUE FALSE NOT GIVEN QUESTIONS.
Questions 1–6
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the Reading Passage?
You should write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
1. At the start of the eighteenth century, scientists knew the Earth was round.
2. Sir Isaac Newton had done scientific experiments at the equator.
3. The debate between Newton and Cassini was important for sailors.
4. Maupertius and Condamine had worked together in the past.
5. Condamine finished his research sooner than he had expected.
6. Condamine left behind no physical evidence of his expedition to South America.
DAY 30 TEXT – THE GIANT PANDA
For more than 100 years. scientists have argued over exactly what a panda is. Now. finally, with the help
of DNA testing. the panda has been admitted to the ursidae (bear) family. and the spectacled bear of South
America has been confirmed as its closest living relative.
In 1869. French Jesuit missionary Pere David first described the giant panda to western science. With just
a pelt and reported sighting to go on. he classified it as a bear. However, the following year, zoologist Alphonse
Milne Edwards dissected the first specimen and concluded that it had more in common with the red panda, a
member of the raccoon family. For more than a century, scientists quarreled over whether the giant panda
belonged to the bear family, the raccoon family or a separate family of its own.
They had good reason to be confused. The giant panda shares many physical characteristics with the red
panda. Both have evolved to feed on bamboo, grasping and eating it in the same way, with similar teeth skulls
and forepaws. They also both have a distinctive cry, which they use to communicate with others in their group.
In the mid-1980s there were several studies involving DNA comparisons between the species. The first
investigations linked the giant panda with bears, but in 1991 further tests contradicted these findings and placed
it in the raccoon family with the red panda. By the year 2000, approximately twelve studies had been
completed, and all except two placed the panda in the bear family. The data from these two studies was
reanalysed by other researchers, who finally concluded that the giant panda was indeed a bear.
Today, there are eight species of bear. Along with dogs, their closest relatives, cats, raccoons and weasels,
they belong to the order Carnivore, a group of meat -eating predators that evolved some 57 million years ago.
The ancestors of modem bears split from this group about 34 million years ago, and today the panda is our
oldest living bear. followed by the spectacled bear. Both are survivors of an ancient lineage dating back 18
million years. The rest - the brown, black, polar. Asiatic black, sloth and sun bears - are relatively modern.
dating back four to five million years.
Researchers have found that the spectacled bear and the panda have several physical features in common.
The spectacled bear's muzzle is comparatively short and it has blunt molar teeth and large jaw muscles. which
are good for grinding fibrous vegetation - vegetation such as bamboo. Indeed, scientists in Venezuela have
found that bamboo makes up 70% of the diet of some spectacled bear populations. For most spectacled bears.
however, the bromeliad, a tropical plant with fleshy leaves, is their main food source. Most species of
bromeliad grow in trees, and spectacled bears therefore have to be adept tree climbers because they spend their
lives foraging for these plants, as well as fruits, in the cloud forest of the Andes.
The giant panda's diet is famously dull, with bamboo representing 99% of its intake. This is rather strange
given that its physiology is typical of a carnivore and it has no special adaptation for digesting cellulose, the
main constituent of plant cell walls. A panda manages to digest only about 17% of the bamboo it eats (a deer
living on grass achieves 80% efficiency). It typically feeds for 14 hours a day, consuming 20 kg or more of
bamboo. Unable to store fat effectively, it continues eating in the bitterly cold winter, at a time when many
other bears hibernate.
With such a specialized diet, the giant panda has evolved a sixth digit, a prehensile elongated wrist bone
called the radial sesamoid. They use this 'false thumb' to roll bamboo leaves into fat, cigarshaped wads which
they then sever using their powerful jaws. They feed mainly on the ground but are capable of climbing trees as
well. The spectacled bear is a more frequent climber and will even climb spiky cacti plants to reach fruit at the
top. They also construct tree nests to act as a bed as well as a platform to feed from fruit-laden branches.
Very occasionally, the giant panda supplements its diet with meat, which it scavenges. Spectacled bears eat
carrion, too, and some have been known to kill small calves. Spectacled bears are highly adaptable and are
found in a wide range of habitats including rainforest, dry forest and coastal scrub desert. In contrast, the giant
panda') live at an altitude of between 1,200 and 3,500 metres in mountain forests that are characterized by
dense strands of bamboo.
There have been many theories as to why the panda has such a distinctive coat, but the most convincing
argument is that of George Schaller, one of the first western scientists to study wild pandas. He believes the
contrasting coat may help prevent close encounters with other pandas. 'In pandas, a stare is a threat,' Schaller
says. 'The eye patches enlarge the panda's small, dark eyes tenfold, making the stare more powerful. A staring
panda will hold its head low, so presenting the eye patches. To show lack of aggressive intent, a panda will
avert its head, cover its eye patches with its paws or hide its face.' Interestingly, the spectacled bear is the only
other bear with comparably obvious markings around the eye
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TASK 2. NOW COMPLETE THE TASKS GIVEN BELOW.
Questions 1-8
Classify the following characteristics as belonging to
A. the giant panda
B. the spectacled bear
C. both the giant panda and the spectacled bear
Write the correct letter A, B or C next to Questions 1-8 below.

1. an extra thumb on each paw
2. a tendency to sleep in trees
3. their species originated 18 million years ago
4. the ability to adjust to different environments
5. the use of noises to socialize with each other
6. the ability to climb trees
7. the eating of meat
8. a similarity to a type of raccoon
Questions 9-13
Complete the sentences with words taken from the passage. Use NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each
answer.
Write your answers in spaces 9-13 below.
9. The panda's digestive system is that of a ___________________.
10. The giant panda must eat constantly because it can only ___________________ a small amount of bamboo.
11. In winter, giant pandas cannot ___________________ because of their feeding habits.
12. Spectacled bears build ___________________ to help reach their food.
13. Giant pandas may use their ___________________ to threaten other pandas.
W E L C O M E
SUCCESS LC
YOUR LEARNING
CENTER ✅
@SUCCESSLC

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30 DAY

1. Apart from pollinating crops how else do bees help us?

4. Why might bees end their hibernation at a different time?

2. How is the ideal site for the settlement found?

4. Where does oxygen come from?

1. Who owns the company now?

6. What did Gordon Brown say about Anita Roddick?

1. How did Arabia maintain their monopoly of coffee?

3. What were coffeehouses in England also known as?

4. What was a typical breakfast in England in the 16th century?

2. One problem with data from the BLS is that

4. Aguiar and Hurst counted multi-tasking activities of leisure and work

1. At the budget meetings the publishing team

1. 'Detoxing' the mind

1. Geoff Ribbens and Richard Thompson state that

1. In the game of Phonomena children are required to choose between

1. Many volunteers feel

2. Gorbis believes that Deep Blue

1. What are scientists not sure about in relation to video games?

1. That morning the narrator was woken up by

TASK 1. TRANSLATE THE PASSAGE INTO YOUR NATIVE LANGUAGE.

1. Egbert and Janetta were writing

1. The global increase in greenhouse gases has been attributed to

TASK 2. NOW COMPLETE TRUE FALSE NOT GIVEN QUESTIONS.

The rise and rise of the shopping mall?

1. The focus should be on simple, universal, practical issues.

3. The names of domestic cleaning products should sound hard-working.

4. Many words have an implicit message as well as an explicit meaning.

6. A product name must be changed if the product is exported to other countries.

2. A marketing plan includes ways to convince shoppers to buy a product.

5. A marketing slogan can have both an explicit and an implicit message.

8. Offering a scholarship would be an innovative way to sell a new product.

9. As rainforests disappear, the number of people living there will decline.

2. Deadly malaria parasites reside in the bodies of mosquitos.

3. Intense coughing and sneezing often accompany the fever of malaria.

5. Getting fast medical attention after becoming ill is a priority.

TASK 1. TRANSLATE THE PASSAGE INTO YOUR NATIVE LANGUAGE.

1. What are we told about sugar production in ancient times?

TASK 1. TRANSLATE THE PASSAGE INTO YOUR NATIVE LANGUAGE.

A emotional balance B academic situations C instinctive abilities

1. The focus should be on simple, universal, practical issues.

Write the correct letter A, B or C next to Questions 1-8 below.

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