Bamboo

Bamboo is a common woody plant. It grows tall and thin. It looks almost like a tree! It grows about twenty five
metres tall. It is about fifteen centimetres wide. Bamboo looks like it is made of many small pieces. Thick lines
divide it into small segments. And the inside of bamboo is empty. But it is hard and very strong.
Many people think bamboo is a tree. But it is not - it is a kind of grass. It grows mainly in East and South East
Asia. It also grows in Latin America, India and parts of Africa and Australia. Bamboo grows extremely fast and
spreads very quickly. There are 1500 different kinds of bamboo. People all over the world use it. And people are
planting more of it. Some people call bamboo ‘the crop of the future.’ They have many good reasons to plant
bamboo.
There are over 1,000 uses for bamboo! People in the past used bamboo for many things. They made musical
instruments and weapons with bamboo. Artists used it for paintbrushes and paper. Fishermen used it to make
equipment for catching fish. Some people even made boats from bamboo!
In China and India, doctors use bamboo in traditional medicine. Bamboo is also very useful for cooking. People
put food inside the empty bamboo plant. This is a good container for cooking soup, rice or tea. But people also
eat bamboo as a healthy food. People eat the soft part, or shoot, of the bamboo in many ways. Most Asian
countries have special foods made from bamboo shoots.
Bamboo has been used in traditional buildings. But builders also use it today! The village of Noh Bo is just one
example.
There are many modern uses for bamboo. In 1879 Thomas Edison created the first light bulb. He made it with
treated bamboo!
People also use bamboo to make cloth. Beauty products sometimes contain bamboo. It is even in some water
filters, to clean water! People have even designed vehicles and airplanes out of bamboo. In Ghana, people even
make two wheeled bicycles from bamboo. In the Philippines, people make electricity from bamboo! Buildings,
bicycles, light bulbs and even electricity: bamboo is an amazing plant.
These are just a few of the many ways people use bamboo. But bamboo is useful for a much more important
reason. It is useful while it grows! Growing bamboo helps the environment in many ways. Bamboo provides
oxygen, which improves air quality. It also reduces harmful carbon dioxide in the air. It does this more quickly
than trees. Bamboo also provides shade and shelter from the sun.
In many places, hardwood trees are cut down for fuel or for building. This causes problems for the earth, animals,
plants and air. To keep a good environment, people must replace the trees. But it takes a very long time for most
trees to reach their full size. Many hardwood trees take 50 years to grow!
Bamboo is ready to use in only three years. Bamboo is the fastest growing woody plant in the world. It can grow
about 60 centimeters in only one day. The bamboo plant grows to its full size in just three or four months. Some
kinds of bamboo then become dry and hard. In three years, it is strong enough to harvest and use. And bamboo
grows again when it is cut down. People can harvest it year after year.
Some people are sure that bamboo is ‘the crop of the future’. For example, Nicaragua has many hardwood
forests. But people are cutting down three percent of the forests every year. One organization, Eco-planet
Bamboo, is trying to replace these trees with bamboo.
Eco-Planet Bamboo planted a large bamboo farm. Through this farm, Eco-Planet Bamboo hopes to improve the
environment. They also hope to improve life for local people. Bamboo is helping to reduce poverty in Nicaragua.
In Nicaragua, bamboo is providing jobs. Around the world, it is improving the environment and the economy. It is
easy to see why people call bamboo the ‘crop of the future.’
Questions 1-7
Read the reading passage and fill in the blank below using ONLY ONE WORD OR A NUMBER.

1. Bamboo is a common plant.

2. Bamboo is metres tall.

3. There are different kinds of bamboo.

3. Some people call bamboo ‘the of the future.’ .

4. In China and India, doctors use bamboo in traditional .

5. In Ghana, people even make from bamboo.

6. In the Philippines, people make from bamboo!.

7. In Nicaragua, bamboo is providing plant.

Do the following statements agree with the information in Reading Passage 1? In boxes 8-13 on your Answer
Sheet, write
TRUE if the statement is true according to the passage.
FALSE if the statement contradicts the passage.
NOT GIVEN if there is no information about this in the passage.
8. Bamboo is a tree.
9. Bamboo only grows in latin America.
[Link] is used to make musical instruments in these days.
[Link] products never contain bamboo.
[Link] gives luxurios life in Nicaragua.
[Link] is called future of crop.

The Value of a College Degree

The escalating cost of higher education is causing many to question the value of continuing education beyond
high school. Many wonder whether the high cost of tuition, the opportunity cost of choosing college over full-time
employment, and the accumulation of thousands of dollars of debt is, in the long run, worth the investment.
The risk is especially large for low- income families who have a difficult time making ends meet without the
additional burden of college tuition and fees.
In order to determine whether higher education is worth the investment, it is useful to examine what is known
about the value of higher education and the rates of return on investment to both the individual and to society.
~THE ECONOMIC VALUE OF HIGHER EDUCATION
There is considerable support for the notion that the rate of return on investment in higher education is high
enough to warrant the financial burden associated with pursuing a college degree. Though the earnings
differential between college and high school graduates varies over time, college graduates, on average, earn
more than high school graduates. According to the Census Bureau, over an adult's working life, high school
graduates earn an average of $1.2 million; associate’s degree holders earn about $1.6 million; and bachelor’s
degree holders earn about $2.1 million (Day and Newburger, 2002).
These sizeable differences in lifetime earnings put the costs of college study in realistic perspective. Most
students today—about 80 percent of all students—enroll either in public four- year colleges or in public two-year
colleges. According to the U.S. Department of Education report. Think College Early, a full-time student at a
public four-year college pays an average of $8,655 for in-state tuition, room, and board (U.S. Department of
Education, 2002). A fulltime student in a public two-year college pays an average of $1,359 per year in tuition
(U.S. Department of Education, 2002).
These statistics support the contention that, though the cost of higher education is significant, given the earnings
disparity that exists between those who earn a bachelor's degree and those who do not, the individual rate of
return on investment in higher education is sufficiently high to warrant the cost.
~OTHER BENEFIT! OF HIGHER EDUCATION
College graduates also enjoy benefits beyond increased income. A1998 report published by the Institute for
Higher Education Policy reviews the individual benefits that college graduates enjoy, including higher levels of
saving, increased personal/professional mobility, improved quality of life for their offspring, better consumer
decision making, and more hobbies and leisure activities (Institute for Higher Education Policy, 1998). According
to a report published by the Carnegie Foundation, nonmonetary individual benefits of higher education include
the tendency for postsecondary students to become more open-minded, more cultured, more rational, more
consistent, and less authoritarian; these benefits are also passed along to succeeding generations (Rowley and
Hurtado, 2002). Additionally, college attendance has been shown to "decrease prejudice, enhance knowledge of
world affairs and enhance social status" while
increasing economic and job security for those who earn bachelor’s degrees (Ibid.). Research has also
consistently shown a positive correlation between completion of higher education and good health, not only for
oneself, but also for one’s children. In fact, "parental schooling levels (after controlling for differences in earnings)
are positively correlated with the health status of their children" and Increased schooling (and higher relative
income) are correlated with lower mortality rates for given age brackets" (Cohn and Geske, 1992).
~THE SOCIAL VALUE OF HIGHER EDUCATION
A number of studies have shown a high correlation between higher education and cultural and family values, and
economic growth. According to Elchanan Cohn and Terry Geske (1992), there is the tendency for more highly
educated women to spend more time with their children; these women tend to use this time to better prepare
their children for the future. Cohn and Geske (1992) report that "college graduates appear to have a more
optimistic view of their past and future personal progress."
Public benefits of attending college include increased tax revenues, greater workplace productivity, increased
consumption, increased workforce flexibility, and decreased reliance on government financial support (Institute
for Higher Education Policy, 1998)....
CONCLUSION
While it is clear that investment in a college degree, especially for those students in the lowest income brackets,
is a financial burden, the long-term benefits to individuals as well as to society at large, appear to far outweigh
the costs.
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Questions14-28

Do the following statements agree with the information in Reading Passage 1? In boxes 14-28on your Answer
Sheet, write
TRUE if the statement is true according to the passage.
FALSE if the statement contradicts the passage.
NOT GIVEN if there is no information about this in the passage.

14 The cost of a college education has remained steady for several years.

15 Some people have to borrow large amounts of money to pay for college.

16 About 80 percent of college students study at public colleges.

17 Public colleges cost less than private colleges.

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Questions18-22

Complete the fact sheet below.

Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 18-22 on your Answer Sheet
Financial Costs and Benefits of Higher Education

— The average high school graduate makes a little more than one million dollars in 18

— The average person with an associate’s degree earns 6$ 19

— The average 20 makes over two million dollars.

— The average student at a four year college spends 21 $ a year on classes, housing, and food.

— The average student at a two-year college spends $1,359 on 22

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Questions 22-25

The list below shows some benefits which college graduates may enjoy more of as compared to noncollege
graduates.
Which four of these benefits are mentioned in the article?
Write the appropriate letters A-G in boxes 22-25on your Answer Sheet

A They own bigger houses.

B They are more optimistic about their lives.

C They save more money.

D They enjoy more recreational activities.

E They have healthier children.

F They travel more frequently.

G They make more purchases.

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Crop-growing skyscrapers

By the year 2050, nearly 80% of the Earth’s population will live in urban centres. Applying the most conservative
estimates to current demographic trends, the human population will increase by about three billion people by
then. An estimated 109 hectares of new land (about 20% larger than Brazil) will be needed to grow enough food
to feed them, if traditional farming methods continue as they are practised today.
At present, throughout the world, over 80% of the land that is suitable for raising crops is in use. Historically,
some 15% of that has been laid waste by poor management practices. What can be done to ensure enough food
for the world’s population to live on ?
The concept of indoor farming is not new, since hothouse production of tomatoes and other produce has been in
vogue for some time. What is new is the urgent need to scale up this technology to accommodate another three
billion people. Many believe an entirely new approach to indoor farming is required, employing cutting-edge
technologies. One such proposal is for the ‘Vertical Farm’. The concept is of multi-storey buildings in which food
crops are grown in environmentally controlled conditions. Situated in the heart of urban centres, they would
drastically reduce the amount of transportation required to bring food to consumers. Vertical farms would need to
be efficient, cheap to construct and safe to operate. If successfully implemented, proponents claim, vertical farms
offer the promise of urban renewal, sustainable production of a safe and varied food supply (through year-round
production of all crops), and the eventual repair of ecosystems that have been sacrificed for horizontal farming.
It took humans 10,000 years to learn how to grow most of the crops we now take for granted. Along the way, we
despoiled most of the land we worked, often turning verdant, natural ecozones into semi-arid deserts. Within that
same time frame, we evolved into an urban species, in which 60% of the human population now lives vertically in
cities. This means that, for the majority, we humans have shelter from the elements, yet we subject our food-
bearing plants to the rigours of the great outdoors and can do no more than hope for a good weather year.
However, more often than not now, due to a rapidly changing climate, that is not what happens. Massive floods,
long droughts, hurricanes and severe monsoons take their toll each year, destroying millions of tons of valuable
crops.
The supporters of vertical farming claim many potential advantages for the system. For instance, crops would be
produced all year round, as they would be kept in artificially controlled, optimum growing conditions. There would
be no weather-related crop failures due to droughts, floods or pests. All the food could be grown organically,
eliminating the need for herbicides, pesticides and fertilisers. The system would greatly reduce the incidence of
many infectious diseases that are acquired at the agricultural interface. Although the system would consume
energy, it would return energy to the grid via methane generation from composting nonedible parts of plants. It
would also dramatically reduce fossil fuel use, by cutting out the need for tractors, ploughs and shipping.
A major drawback of vertical farming, however, is that the plants would require artificial light. Without it, those
plants nearest the windows would be exposed to more sunlight and grow more quickly, reducing the efficiency of
the system. Single-storey greenhouses have the benefit of natural overhead light; even so, many still need
artificial lighting.
A multi-storey facility with no natural overhead light would require far more. Generating enough light could be
prohibitively expensive, unless cheap, renewable energy is available, and this appears to be rather a future
aspiration than a likelihood for the near future.
One variation on vertical farming that has been developed is to grow plants in stacked trays that move on rails.
Moving the trays allows the plants to get enough sunlight. This system is already in operation, and works well
within a single-storey greenhouse with light reaching it from above: it Is not certain, however, that it can be made
to work without that overhead natural light.
Vertical farming is an attempt to address the undoubted problems that we face in producing enough food for a
growing population. At the moment, though, more needs to be done to reduce the detrimental impact it would
have on the environment, particularly as regards the use of energy. While it is possible that much of our food will
be grown in skyscrapers in future, most experts currently believe it is far more likely that we will simply use the
space available on urban rooftops.
Questions 26-32

Complete the sentences below.

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 1-7 on your answer sheet.
Indoor farming

26 Some food plants, including are already grown indoors.

27 Vertical farms would be located in meaning that there would be less need to take them long
distances to customers.
28 Vertical farms could use methane from plants and animals to produce

29 The consumption of would be cut because agricultural vehicles would be unnecessary.

30 The fact that vertical farms would need light is a disadvantage.

31 One form of vertical farming involves planting in which are not fixed.

32 The most probable development is that food will be grown on in towns and cities.

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Questions 33-40

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage?
In boxes 33-38 on your answer sheet, write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

33 Methods for predicting the Earth’s population have recently changed.

34 Human beings are responsible for some of the destruction to food-producing land.

35 The crops produced in vertical farms will depend on the season.

36 Some damage to food crops is caused by climate change.

37 Fertilisers will be needed for certain crops in vertical farms.

38 Vertical farming will make plants less likely to be affected by infectious diseases.
39. we will simply use the space available on urban rooftops.

40. it is possible that much of our food was grown in skyscrapers.