Creative Prolem Solving The dingo debate The booming business of

14. B 14. E nationbranding

15. D 15. D 27. B
16. F 16. C 28. C
17. B 17. B 29.A
18. C 18. F 30. C
19. E 19. A 31. E
20. B 20. D 32. G
21. D 21. D 33. D
22. C 22. A 34. C
23. A 23. B 35.A
24. positive 24. Tasmanian tiger 36. NO
25. voice 25. rabbits 37. NOT GIVEN
26. distraction over population 38. NOT GIVEN
39.YES
40.A
Growing more or less The hazards of multitasking The gender gap in New
Growing more for less 27. A Zealand’s high school
14. C 28. c examination results
15. D 29. A 14. Points
16. E 30. B 15. Decade
17. G 31. D 16. Australia
18. D 32. B 17. C
19. F 33. D 18. B
20. B 34. c 19. D
21. B 35. forehead 20. H
22. D 36. mental resources 21. H
23. electromagnetic radiation 37. brain cells 22. E
24. Henri Douche 38. new memories 23. G
25. crop failure 39. new skills 24. C
26. nutrients 40. c 25.F

Leaf -cutting ants Linguistic diversity Museums and family visỉtors

14. B 27. Y in Ausatralia
15. A 28. N 1. science
16. A 29. Y 2. technology
17. C 30. NG 3. parents
31. N 4. Powerhouse
18. B
32. Y 5. cooperation
19. A 33. A
20. F 6. interactive
34. C 7. favorite displays
21. H 35. C
22. C 8. break 1
36. B
23. J 9. two hours
37. D
10. TRUE
24. G 38. B
11. NOT GIVEN
25. A 39. A
40.D
12. FALSE
26. 13. NOT GIVEN
Preserving Antarctic History Rubber The Strange word of sight
14. E 1. FALSE 27. D
15. I 2. TRUE 28. C
16. A 3. NOT GIVEN 29. A
17. G 4. TRUE 30. A
18.C 5. NOT GIVEN 31. N
19. F 6. FALSE 32. Y
20. A 7. Waterproof cloth 33. Y
21. E 8. Waste strips 34. N
22. A 9. Rigid 35. NG
23. B 10. Stabilise 36. Y
24. sheltered 11. Steam engines 37. D
25. penguins 12. Pneumatic tyre 38. F
26. permit 13. Mass production 39. I
40. J
READING PASSAGE 2
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26, which are based on Reading
Passage 2 on pages 6 and 7.

Creative Problem-Solving
Puzzle-solving is an ancient, universal practice, scholars say, and it depends on creative
insight,
or a primitive spark. Now, modern neuroscientists are beginning to tap its source
A. In a recent study, researchers at Northwestern University in the United States found
that people were more likely to solve word puzzles with sudden insight when they
were amused, having just seen a short comedy routine. ‘What we think is
happening,’ said Dr Mark Beeman, a neuroscientist who worked on the study, 'is
that the humor, this positive mood, is lowering the brain's threshold for detecting
weaker or more remote connections,' which enable people to solve puzzles.
B. This suggests that the appeal of puzzles goes far deeper than the pleasant rush of
finding a solution. The very act of doing a puzzle typically shifts the brain into an
open, playful state that is itself a pleasing escape. Unlike the social and professional
mysteries in the real world, puzzles are reassuringly solvable; but like any serious
problem, they require more than mere intellect to crack. ‘It’s imagination, it's
inference, it's guessing; and much of it is happening subconsciously,’ said Dr Marcel
Danesi, a professor of anthropology at the University of Toronto, Canada. ‘It’s all
about you, using your own mind, without any method or schema, to restore order
from chaos,’ Danesi said. ‘And once you have, you can sit back and say, “Hey, the
rest of my life may be a disaster, but at least I have a solution”.’
c. For almost a century scientists have used puzzles to study what they call ‘insight
thinking’, the leaps of understanding that seem to come out of the blue. In one
experiment, the German psychologist Karl Duncker presented people with a candle,
a box of pins, and the task of attaching the candle to a wall. About a quarter of the
subjects thought to use the pins to tack the box to the wall as a support - some
immediately, and others after failed efforts to tack wax to the wall. According to
Duncker, the creative leap seems to have been informed by subconscious cues.
In another well-known experiment, psychologists H.G. Birch and H.s. Rabinowitz
challenged people to tie together two cords; the cords were hanging from the ceiling
of a large room, too far apart to be grabbed at the same time. A small percentage of
people solved it without any help, by tying something else to one cord and swinging
it like a pendulum so that it could be caught while they held the other cord. In some
experiments researchers gave clues to those who were stumped - for instance, by
bumping into one of the strings so that it swung. Many of those who then solved the
problem said they had no recollection of the clue, though it very likely registered
subconsciously.
D. All along, researchers have debated the definitions of insight and analysis, and
some have concluded that the two are merely different sides of the same coin. Yet
in an authoritative discussion of the research carried out so far, the psychologists
Jonathan w. Schooler and Joseph Melcher concluded that the abilities most
strongly correlated with insight problem-solving ‘were not significantly correlated’
with solving analytical problems. Either way, creative problem-solving usually
requires both analysis and insight. Adam Anderson, a psychologist at the University
of Toronto, Canada, argues that although when people are solving problems they
may move back and forth between these abilities, they are truly different brain
states.
E. At first, studies did little more than confirm that brain areas that register reward
spiked in activity when people came up with a solution, that is to say once they had
completed a puzzle. However, in a series of recent studies, John Kounios, a
psychologist at Drexel University In the United States, has imaged people’s brains
as they prepare to tackle a puzzle, but before they’ve seen it. Those whose brains
show a particular signature of preparatory activity, one that is strongly correlated
with positive moods, turn out to be more likely to solve the puzzles with sudden
insight than with trial and error (the clues can be solved either way). Previous
research has also found activation of cells in a certain area of the brain when people
widen or narrow their attention - say, when they filter out distractions to focus on a
difficult task, like concentrating on someone’s voice in a noisy room. In the case of
insight puzzle-solving, the brain seems to widen its attention, in effect making itself
more susceptible to distraction.
F. In the humor study, Beeman had college students solve word-association puzzles
after watching a short video showing a stand-up comedian. Beeman found that
these students solved more of the puzzles overall, and significantly more by sudden
insight, compared with when they’d seen a scary or boring video beforehand. This
‘open’ state of mind does not only apply to intellectual puzzles. In a study published
last year, researchers at the University of Toronto found that people in positive
moods picked up more background detail, even when they were told to block out
distracting information during a computer task. The findings fit with dozens of
experiments linking positive moods to better creative problemsolving. The
implication is that positive mood engages this broad, ... attentional state that is both
perceptual and visual,’ said Anderson. He explains that not only are people in a
positive mood able to think more broadly, they are able to notice more visually.
Questions 1 4 - 1 9
Reading Passage 2 has six sections, A-F.
Which section contains the following information?
Write the correct letter, A-F, in boxes 14-19 on your answer sheet.
NB You may use any letter more than once.
14 a claim that people enjoy the process of doing puzzles as well as finding the
answers
15 a review of studies that looked at the relationship between insight and analysis
16 the finding that people were less likely to solve puzzles after viewing uninteresting
or disturbing material
17 a comparison between doing puzzles and dealing with life challenges
18 a description of a study where the subjects were given hints by those conducting
the research
19 details of a study in which the focus shifted to mental activity before a puzzle is
attempted
Questions 20 - 23
Look at the following statements (Questions 20-23) and the list of researchers below.
Match each statement with the correct researcher, A-E.
Write the correct letter, A-E, in boxes 20-23 on your answer sheet.
20 Solving a puzzle may help people facing difficulties feel better.
21 Two distinctly separate functions of the brain are used when solving puzzles.
22 Some subjects were able to find a solution to the puzzle they were given without
knowing how they had done it.
23 Seeing something funny helps people make links that may not be obvious at first.

List of Researchers

A Mark Beeman
B Marcel Danesi
c Karl Duncker
D Adam Anderson
E John Kounios

Questions 24 - 26 Complete
the summary below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 24-26 on your answer sheet.
Kounios builds on studies of puzzle-solvers’ brain activity
Early studies showed that when people solved a puzzle, the parts of the brain linked to
reward were more active. Studies by Kounios reveal that when people are feeling 24
................ during the preparatory stage, it is more probable that they will use insight to
solve puzzles. The part of the brain that is affected is connected with the adjustment of
people's attention. When someone is trying to listen to a 25 ...................... when the
general sound level is high, the focus narrows. When people solve puzzles using insight,
their focus becomes wider, and they are more open to 26 ........................................
READING PASSAGE 2
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26, which are based on Reading
Passage 2 on pages 6 and 7.

The dingo debate

Graziers see them as pests, and poisoning is common, but some bitlogists
think Australia's dingoes are the best weapon in a war against imported cats
and foxes
A. A plans flies a slow pattern over Carlton Hill station, a 3,600 square kilometre ranch
in the Kimberley region in northwest Australia. As the plane Circles, those aboard
drop 1,000 small pieces of meat, one by one, onto the scrubland below, each piece
laced with poison; this practice is known as baiting.
Besides 50.000 head of cattle, Cariton Hill is home to the dingo, Australia’s largest
mammalian predator and the bane of a grazier’s (cattle farmer's) life. Stuart
Mckechnie, manager of Carlton Hill, complain that graziers’ livelihoods are
threatened when dingoes prey on cattle. But one man wants the baiting to end, and
for dingoes to once again roam Australia’s wide-open spaces. According to Chris
Johnson of James Cook University, ‘Australia needs more dingoes to protect our
biodiversity.’
B. Aboult 4.000 years ago, Asian sailors introduced dingoes to Australia. Throughout
the ensuing millennia, these descendants of the wolf spread across the continent
and, as the Tasmanian tiger disappeared completely from Australia, dingoes became
Australia’s top predators. As agricultural development took place, the European
setter found that they could not safely keep their livestock where dingoes roamed.
So began one of the most sustained efforts at pest control in Australia's history. Over
the last 150 years, dingoes have been shot and poisoned, and fences have been
used in attempt to keep them away from livestock. But at the same time, as the
European settlers tried to eliminate one native pest from Australia, they introduced
more of their own.
C. In 1860, the rabbit was unleashed on Australia by a wealthy landowner, and by
1980, rabbits bad covered most of the mainland. Rabbits provided a huge prey base
for two other introduced species; the feral (wild) cat and red fox.
The interation between foxes, cats and rabbits is a huge problem for native
mammals. In good years, rabbit numbers increase dramaticaly, and fox and cat
populations grow quickly in response to the abundance of this prey. When bad
seasons follow, rabbit numbers are significantly reduced - and the dwindling but still
large fox and cat populations ace left with little to eat besides native mammals.
D. Australian mammals generally reproduce much more slowly than rabbits, cats and
foxes - an adaptation to prevent overpopulation in the arid environment, where food
can be scarce and unreliable - and populations decline because they can't grow fast
enough to animals killed by the predators. Johnson says dingoes are the solution to
this problem because they keep cat and fox populations under control. Besides
regularly eating the smaller predators, dingoes will kill them simply to lessen
competition.
Dingo packs in large, stable territories and generally have only one fertile female,
which limits their rate of increase. In the 4,000 years that dingoes have been in
Australia, they have contributed to few, if any, extinctions, Johnson says.
E. Reaching out from a desolate spot where three states meet, for 2,500 km in ether
direction, is the world's longest fence, two metres high and stretching from the coast
in Queensland to the Great Australian Bight in South Austraha; it is there to keep
dingoes out of southeast Australia. Though it has been only partly successful in
excluding dingoes from the southeast, the fence separates the main types of
livestock found in Australia. To the northwest of the fence, cattle predominate; to the
southeast, sheep fill the landscape. In fact, Australia is a land dominated by these
animals - 25 million cattle, 100 million sheep and just over 20 million people.
F. While there is no argument that dingoes will prey on sheep if given the chance, they
don’t hunt cattle once the calves are much past two or three weeks old, according to
Mckechnie. And a study in Queensland suggests that dingoes don’t even prey
heavily on the newborn calves unless their staple prey disappears due to
deteriorating conditions like drought.
This study, co-authored by Lee Allen of the Robert Wicks Researct Centre in
Queensland, suggests that the aggressive baiting programs used against dingoes
may actually be counter- productive for graziers. When dingoes are removed from an
area by baiting, the area is recolonised by younger, more solitary dingoes. These
animals aren’t capable of going after the large prey like kangaroos, so they turn to
calves. In their study, some of the higrest rates of calf predation occurred in areas
that had been baited.
G. Mark Clifford, general manager of a firm that manages over 200,000 head of cattle,
is not convinced by Allen’s assertion, Clifford says, ‘It’s obvious if we drop or loosen
control on dingoes, we are going to lose more calves. He doesn't believe that
dingoes will go after kangaroos when calves are around. Nor is he pessuaded of
dingoes’supposed ecological benefits, saying he is not convinced that they manage
to catch that often, believing they are more likely to catch small native animals
instead.
H. McKechnie agrees that dingoes kill the wallabjes (small native animals) that compete
with his cattle for food, but points out that in parts of Western Austratia, there are no
foxes, and not very many cats. He doesn’t see how relaxing controls on dingoes in
his area will improve the ecological balance. Johnson sees a need for a change in
philosophy on the part of graziers. There might be a number of different ways of
thinking through dingo management in cattle country,’ he says.’At the moment,
though, that hasn't got through to graziers. There’s still just one prescription, and that
is to bait as widely as possible.’
Questions 1 4 - 2 0

Reading Passage 2 has eight sections, A-H.

Which section contains the following information?

Write the correct letter, A-H, in boxes 14-20 on your answer sheet.

NB You May use any letter more than once

14 a depscription of a barrier designed to stop dingoes, which also divides two kinds of
non-native animals
15 how dingoes ensure that rival species do not dominate

16 a reference to a widespread non-native species that other animals feed on

17 a rmention of the dingo’s arrival in Australia

18 reasearch which has proved that dingoes have resorted to eating young livestock
19 a description of a method used to kill dingoes
20 the way that the structure of dingo grougs affects how quickly their numbers grow

Questions 21 - 23

Look at the following statements (Questions 21-23) and the list of people below. Match each

statement with the correct person, A, B, C or D.

Write the correct letter, A, B, C or D, in boxes 21-23 on your answer sheet.

21 Dingoes tend to hunt native animals rather than hunting other non-native predators.
22 The presence of dingoes puts the income of some people at risk.
23 Dingoes have had little impact on the dying out of animal species in Australia.

List of People

A Stuart McKechnie
B Chris Johnson
c Lee Allen
D Mark Clifford
Questions 24 - 26 Complete the Sentences below.

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.

Write your answers in boxes 24-26 on your answer sheet.

24 The dingo replaced the .................. as the main predatory animal in Australia.
25 Foxes and cats are more likely to hunt native animals when there are fewer

26 Australian animals reproduce at a slow rate as a natural way of avoiding

READING PASSAGE 3
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27 - 40, which are based on Reading
Passage 3 on pages 10 and 11.

The booming business of nation-branding

The term 'nation brand' first appeared in articles by Simon Anholt at the end of the twentieth
century. Anholt had worked in advertising, and he observed that most successful commercial
brands came from countries that had positive images, having created successful brands as a
nation.

Through the 2000s, the nation-branding industry grew quickly. A handful of companies
focused specifically on nation-branding, while many others - PR firms, marketing agencies,
and management consultancies - offered this as an addition to their other services. Many
nations were immediately attracted by these branding services. Keen to be seen as stable
and prosperous, the former Soviet republic of Georgia ran ad campaigns in which it
measured itself against France or Australia on the basis of things like its success in grape
cultivation or its smooth bureaucracy. Each campaign concluded,'And the winner is ...
GEORGIA!' Around the same time, Germany decided it was 'The Land ofldeas', while
Jamaica called out to potential entrepreneurs who were looking for a bold and creative
home.

One nation-branding agency is Bloom Consulting, based in Madrid. Often, countries come to
Bloom with specific ideas of what they desire. Some governments are after more tourists,
while others want so appeal to talented workers or students. Recently, Paraguay's
government hired Bloom to renovate its image in order to lift its exports and attract more
investment. Flows of foreign direct investment worldwide rose from $865 billion to $1.5 2
trillion over a period of 17 years. Even a small slice of such a substantial pie is well worth
seeking.

As well as a nation, a place such as a town or city can also develop a brand. In 1945, the
city of The Hague in the Netherlands was picked to be the home of the International Court of
Justice. Since then, the city has worked hard to confirm its status as the city of peace and
justice. Asa result, anyone planning a convention or event around the theme of justice or
security is more than likely to choose The Hague as a destination. Last year, this city of half
a million hosted 135 international conferences. On average, a conference lasted four days
and drew 279 visitors, each of whom spent €1,200 during their visit, showing that even the
more abstract aims of place-branding may have material benefits.

Commercial motives aside, the frenzy for nation-branding or place-branding also reflects
deeper issues. Every country, region and city now fmds that it has to be a competitor in the
vast marketplace that is the world's economy. Some places have never properly played this
role before; others have played it so long that they're unused to being challenged. To be
noticed, a place must be distinctive, most appear unique. But this is tricky to achieve when a
single, bland culture - the culture of the same global market - is everywhere. Although Anholt
was one of the first in the field of nation-branding, he now has a new approach towards it. In
the late 1990s, he used to create nation brands in the way an advertiser or a corporate
marketer would. Now, though, he scorns marketing. His later work focuses very little on
communication and branding, and much more on the abstract business of a country's
beneficial effect upon the world.

A well-regarded country, Anholt thinks, does as much for humanity at large as for its own
people, although countries need to ensure they are properly run if their reputation is to
improve. This thought prompted him to launch the Good Country index, which ranks states
by the good they do for the world. Anholt sounds as if he regrets ever introducing the idea of
'nation brand', saying he feels the only people who benefit from it are corrupt PR agencies
who encourage poor countries to spend money they can't afford on relatively useless
propaganda programmes.

The direction in which nation-branding work tends to flow is not ideal either. Nationbranding
agencies in New York, Madrid, London and Paris dispense advice to governments in Asia,
Africa, eastern Europe and Latin America on how best to present themselves - an
arrangement that can easily lead to cultural imperialism. This imbalance is potentially
dangerous for practitioner and client alike.

The very notion of a national or regional character that the people of Georgia or Jamaica, or
of Germany or Holland, are somehow different, although the borders separating them from
neighbouring countries may only have been created relatively recently - is problematic. But
the impulse of authorities such as churches, kings or governments to define and manipulate
such a character is hardly new. However the way that national identity is communicated is
changing. This once happened through newspapers and books. Now it happens, at a much
more frantic pace, on the banner ads of web pages, at global summits, at investment
roadshows, and even as product placements in the movies. Behind these concerns about
national identity is the political fear that the nation is being displaced from its position as the
most vital unit in world affairs. So much points to this. Governments struggle to cope with the
borderless nature of things that might once have been within their jurisdiction: corporations,
taxes, the internet and the media, crime, political influence. Even the eagerness to hire
brand experts is, in a way, a reaction to this perceived threat of irrelevance an attempt by
nations and regions to regroup, to define themselves anew. An attempt to insist that they still
matter.
Questions 27 - 30
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
Write the correct letter in boxes 27-30 on your answer sheet.
27 When discussing nation-branding in the frrst paragraph, the writer's purpose is to
A explain some of its positive results.
B outline the early development of the concept.
C describe the main countries that benefited from it.
D present some of its advantages and disadvantages
28 The phrase 'such a substantial pie m the second paragraph refers to
A Bloom Consultmg.
B Paraguay's government.
C foreign direct investment.
D tounsts, workers and students.
29 The information given by the writer shows there is a contrast between Paraguay and
The Hague in terms of
A what focus they want for their brand.
B how successful their brand has become.
C why their brand has become widely known.
D whether their brand has a financial element.
30 In the fourth paragraph, the writer suggests that nation-branding and placebranding
A are not possible in all parts of the world.
B may lead to unexpected economic problems
C may be in conflict with the effects of globalisationdd.
D are likely to encourage international disagreements

Questions 31 - 35
Complete the summary using the list of phrases, A-H, below Write the correct letter, A-H,
in boxes 31-35 on your answer sheet
Anholt's new approach to nation brands In the late 1990s, Anholt created
nation brands using marketing techniques like those used for 31 ...........................
Now, he has a new approach: he concentrates on the 32 ......................... that a
country can have. He believes that a country's good reputation depends on a well
run government. He also feels that the idea of a nation brand has been a
33 ................. and that poor countries are being encouraged by
34 ................ to spend money on programmes which have extremely
35 ................
A limited benefits D negative development G positive influence
B useful change E commercial products H effective government
C dishonest companies F ethical behaviour
Questions 36 - 39
Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in Reading Passage 3?
In boxes 36-39 on your answer sheet, write

YES if the statement agrees with the views of the writer

NO if the statement contradicts the views of the writer
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

36 Those in authority have tended to discourage the idea of a national character.

37 The most effective way to establish a national identity is regular attendance at global
summits.

38 There is very little evidence that the power of individual nations is declining

39 Recent social, economic and technological developments have brought new

challenges to governments.

Question 40
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
Write the correct letter in box 40 on your answer sheet.
40 What would be the best subtitle for this text?
A Should marketing techniques be used to promote nations?
B How have advertisers developed a more global approach?
C Are modern communications dangerous for governments?
D Will commercial developments improve the world we live in?
READING PASSAGE 2
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26, which are based on Reading
Passage 2 on pages 5 and 6.

Growing more for less

Satellite technology is helping farmers boost crop
yields
A. For farmers, working out the optimal amount of seed, fertiliser, pesticide and
water to scatter on a field can make, or break, the subsequent harvest.
Regular laboratory analyses of soil and plant samples from various parts of the
field can help - but such expertise is costly, and often unavailable. However, a
new and cheaper method of doing this analysis is now on offer. Precise
prescriptions for growing crops can be obtained quickly, and less expensively, by
calculating the amount of electromagnetic radiation reflected from agricultural
land. The data is collected by orbiting satellites.
B. Examining the wavelength of the radiation that is reflected can reveal, with
surprising precision, the properties of the soil, the quantity of crop being grown,
and the levels in those crops of chlorophyll*, various minerals, moisture and other
indicators of their quality. If recent and forecast weather data is added to the mix,
detailed maps can be produced indicating exactly how, where and when crops
should be grown. The service usually costs less than US $15 per hectare for a
handful of readings a year, and can increase yields by as much as 10%.
C. Such precision farming using satellite-based intelligence is a relatively new
technique. Even so, it is catching on quickly. Five times a year, for example, a
French cereal-growers’ co-operative called Sevepi purchases satellite data and
makes it available to its members in the form of maps of their fields, divided into
three or four colour-coded zones per hectare. For each zone, one of about 50
fertiliser formulas is recommended. On top of this, if the wheat in the field has
already grown quite high early in the season, and heavy showers are expected,
an appropriate dose of growth regulator is recommended for each zone. (Long,
fragile stems break more easily in downpours.) Then, farm vehicles equipped
with global-positioning system locators automatically mix and apply the
prescribed dose to each area.
D. France is the pioneer in this sort of surveillance. More farmland is analysed by
satellite there than in any other country, according to Infoterra (a subsidiary of
EADS Astrium), the firm that is France’s largest provider of such information,
supplying data to companies such as Sevepi. Moreover, Henri Douche, head of
Infoterra’s agriculture sales in Toulouse, reckons the amount of monitored
farmland will increase as weather patterns change and farmers can no longer
rely on the past as a guide to the future. When confounded by the yield

* chlorophyll: the green substance in plants that allows them to absorb sunlight
 variations that these new weather patterns will bring, even farmers who are afraid
of new technology will sign up, he says.
E. Inexpensive data on the productivity of land is advantageous to governments,
too. Areas where fertilisers and pesticides are being applied excessively can be
pinpointed, studied and regulated by environmental and land-use agencies. Guy
Lafond, an agronomist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, a government
agency, says the satellite data it purchases is proving useful for the study of
fields with declining productivity in the province of Saskatchewan. Overkill with
nitrate fertilisers (which are also a source of greenhouse gases) appears partly
responsible. And according to RapidEye, a German satellite operator, insurance
companies are also studying satellite data with a view to selling insurance
policies to governments of famine-prone countries that might be threatened by
crop failure.
F. In March, RapidEye began selling data that helps forecast harvests. Too often,
farmers limit productivity by managing fields uniformly,’ says Fredrick Jung-
Rothenhausler, head of product development at the firm’s headquarters in
Brandenburg an der Havel. ‘Our satellites are the first commercial satellites to
include the Red-Edge band of the light spectrum, which is sensitive to changes in
chlorophyll content. More research will be necessary to realise the full potential of
the Red-Edge band. However, this band can assist in monitoring vegetation
health, improving species separation and also help in measuring protein and
nitrogen content in biomass.’ The company’s data, which comes from both
Europe and the Americas, breaks field productivity down into patches just five
metres square.
G. The advantages that satellite technology provides in terms of precision farming
do not have to be restricted to rich countries. In Africa, where many soils have
become badly depleted of nutrients, better fertiliser management would greatly
improve the situation. As a consequence, the charitable trust World Agroforestry
Centre, in the city of Nairobi, in Kenya, has begun to build up a catalogue of the
radiation patterns derived from around 100,000 samples of African soils. The
information is the key to understanding the potential of these soils to be more
agriculturally productive. Once passed on to the International Centre for Tropical
Agriculture, based in Colombia, South America, it is intended that the information
be used to build a database called the ‘Digital Soil Map’. When ready, this will
provide farmers with free forecasts, developed with regularly updated satellite
imagery, across farmland in a number of countries in Africa. This is information
which will almost certainly assist in improving crop yields. For a hunger-ravaged
continent, that is good news indeed.
Questions 1 4 - 2 0
Reading Passage 2 has seven paragraphs, A-G.
Which paragraph contains the following information?
Write the correct letter, A-G, in boxes 14-20 on your answer sheet.
NB You may use any letter more than once.
14 an example of how farmers m one country are now using satellite data to
determine fertiliser use
15 a reference to climate change and its effects
16 a reference to the effect on the soil of using too much fertiliser
17 an example of information that will be shared between different countries
18 a mention of the country which is the leader in agricultural technology
19 a description of an innovation in satellite imaging which requires further study
20 evidence of the cost effectiveness of using satellite technology in agriculture

Questions 21 and 22
Choose TWO letters, A-E.
Write the correct letters in boxes 21 and 22 on your answer sheet.
Which TWO companies obtain information directly from satellites,
A Sevépi
B Infoterra
C Agriculture and AgriFood Canada
D RapidEye
E World Agroforestry Centre
Questions 23 - 26
Complete the sentences below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 23-26 on your answer sheet.
23 Initially, orbiting satellites are used to measure ...................... coming frown
farmland.
24 ...................... believes that confusion about irregular weather will cause more
farmers to use satellite technology.
25 As a result of satellite technology, it may become possible to insure against
the risk of .........................
26 In Africa, much of the soil suffers from the loss of ...........................
READING PASSAGE 3
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27-40, which are based on Reading
Passage 3 oh pages 10 and 11.

The hazards of multitasking

Doing more than one thing at once - is it always a good idea?
You arrive at the office, review your to- results in inefficiency, careless thinking
do list and start to feel a headache and mistakes - not to mention the
coming on. You resolve to tackle the possible dangers of divided attention for
items as quickly as possible. While you drivers, air traffic controllers, and others
return calls, you sort email and other who handle machinery.
letters. You begin keying in slides for
How can a time management
tomorrow’s presentation. Then your
strategy that has become part of the
manager comes in wanting an
common wisdom actually be so wrong?
immediate update on sales figures.
Exploring that question requires a closer
You have just opened the spreadsheet
look at an area of consciousness
when a very important customer calls.
research that examines how the brain
With the receiver held between your
focuses attention. One of the modern
shoulder and your ear, you continue
foundations of current knowledge of
adding up the sales totals until, 15
multitasking was laid in 1935, when the
minutes later, you finally manage,
American psychologist John Ridley
politely, to get rid of the client. You’ve
Stroop reported that processing
been multitasking again.
information from one task could cause
You may believe that anyone who interference with another. Stroop noticed
wants to get ahead today should master that when study participants were asked
the art of multitasking. to name the colour of a word - such as
However, a recent study by the Families ‘green’ - printed in a different colour -
and Work Institute in New York City has red, for example - they experienced
found that 45 per cent of US workers difficulty saying the name of the colour.
believe that they are asked or expected This phenomenon is thought to occur
to work on too many tasks at once. when two tasks get tangled: the brain
Managers may be surprised to learn that must suppress one that has been
they are actually wasting their workers’ learned so well that it has become
time. As it turns out, the human brain automatic (reading), to attend to a
cannot really master the computer’s art second task that requires concentration
of crunching data in the background (naming the colour).
while moving between process windows.
During the past couple of decades,
Instead, a growing number of studies
psychologists have probed more deeply
show that trying to juggle jobs rather
into the nature and limitations of
than completing them sequentially can
multitasking. Psychologist and brain
take longer, and leave workers with a
researcher Ernst Pôppel, of the Ludwig
reduced ability to perform each task. In
Maximilian University in Munich,
addition, the stress associated with
believes that it is impossible to car, out
multitasking may contribute to shortterm
two or three different tasks
memory difficulties. The combination
simultaneously with the same degree of By its nature multitasking is stressful,
concentration. He says that seemingly and the area in the brain most involved
simultaneous awareness and processing with multitasking is also most affected by
of information actually takes place in the resulting stress. Located behind the
‘three-second windows’. In thelse three- forehead, the prefrontal cortex, which ,
second segments, the brain takes in, as neuroscientists call the ‘executive’ part
a block, all the data about the of the brain, helps as to assess tasks,
environment streaming in from the prioritise them and assign mental
sensory systems; subsequent events resources. It also ‘marks’ the spot at
are processed in the next window. So a which a task has been interrupted, so
person can concentrate on a that we can return to it later. This stress
conversation for three seconds, then for can also affect brain cells in another
three seconds on a crying child, and region, the hippocampus, which is
three seconds on a computer screen. important for forming new memories;
While one subject at a time occupies the damage in that area also makes it
foreground of consciousness, the others difficult for a person to acquire new
stay in the background until they, in turn, skills.
are given access to the central
Psychiatrists Edward Halliwell and
processor.
John Ratey, of Harvard University, say
that multitasking can bring about a brain
condition that causes sufferers to
Another experiment by psychologist
constantly seek new information while
David E Meyer, of the University of
having difficulties concentrating on its
Michigan, quantified just how much time
content. All in all, it may be wise to let
we can lose when we shuttle between
the email wait while you work on your
tasks. The researchers asked test
presentation. You will save time and
participants to write a report and check
perform each task better.
their email at the same time. Those
individuals who constantly jumped back
and forth between the two tasks took
about one and a half times as long to
finish as those who completed one job
before turning to the other. Each
switchover from one task to another
meant rethinking, and thus involved
additional neural resources. In effect, the
brain needs time to that off the rules for
one task and to turn on the rules for
another. ‘Multitasking saves time only
when it is a matter of relaxed, routine
tasks,’ Meyer says. It also takes the
brain longer to adapt when switching
rapidly
back to an interrupted task, rather than
waiting longer before switching back.
Questions 27 - 31
Look at the following theories (Questions 27-31) and the list of people below.
Match each theory with the correct person or people, A, B, C or D.
Write the correct letter, A, B, C or D, in boxes 27-31 on your answer sheet.
NB You may use any letter more than once.
27 Less attention will be paid to each task when more than one task is attempted at
the same time.
28 Repeated changes of task mean that the brain will take a while to adjust.
29 Using the skills required for one task may make performing another one more
difficult.
30 When multitasking, the brain can only focus on single tasks for very short
periods.
31 Multitasking can lead to a medical problem.

List of People

A John Ridley Stroop

B Ernst Poppel
c David E Meyer
D Edward Halliwell & John
Ratey

Questions 32 - 34
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
Write the correct letter in boxes 32-34 on your answer sheet.
32 What is suggested about the worker in the opening paragraph?
A Anxiety deprived him of sleep the previous night.
B He feels overwhelmed by his workload.
C His manager has expressed disapproval.
D He finds his work dull and uninteresting.
33 Drivers and air traffic controllers are mentioned in the passage because the
A need to perform several tasks at once.
B are unable to maintain concentration.
C use their time efficiently.
D cannot afford to make mistakes.
34 In John Ridley Stroop’s experiment, participants found it difficult to
A tell one colour from another.
B match up pairs of similar colours.
c read out the name of one colour printed in another colour.
D decide what colour looks most appropnate for a particular word.

Questions 35 - 39
Complete the summary below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers i» boxes 35-39 on your answer sheet.
Multitasking and its effects on the brain
The stressful nature of multitasking has been shown to affect parts of the brain. The
area most affected is the prefrontal cortex, which is found to the rear of the 35
....................... It is the part of the brain which judges tasks, then puts them in order
of importance and allocates 36 ....................... ; it also enables a worker to resume a
task which has been put to one side.
A second area, the hippocampus, may also be affected by the stress of
multitasking. If any 37........................ in the hippocampus are affected, people may
have problems with storing 38 ........................ , as well as learning 39 ............................

Question 40
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
Write the correct letter in box 40 on your answer sheet.
The main aim of this passage is to
A describe areas where multitasking is useful.
B challenge widely held opinions on multitasking.
C show the physical damage that multitasking can cause.
D call for better psychological experiments on multitasking.
READING PASSAGE 2

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26, which are based on Reading
Passage 2 on pages 6 and 7.

The gender gap in New Zealand’s high

school examination results

Results from New Zealand’s new national examinations for B. However the
secondary schools country’ some cause for concern
New Zealand State
Ministry of Education says it is taking
A. The issue is the difference in the issue seriously. It is working with
pass rates between the sexes: at a reference group on are giving that
each level of the examination and boys’ education which has been set
across all school types, the up, and it has commissioned an
difference is about 10 percentage Australian academic to report on
points. Girls are doing better in every interventions that have been found
subject, and those in girls-only to work for boys, drawing particularly
schools are taking top honours. The on Australia’s experience. But some,
results are not a surprise: high such as former prison manager Celia
school girls have been Lashlie, the author of a book for
outperforming boys academically for parents of teenage boys, believe
more than a decade. It is an there is still resistance within the
international phenomenon, and Education Ministry towards doing
within Australia was the subject of anything about the problem.
much debate and controversy.
C. Education Ministry learning
Within New Zealand back in the
policy manager Steve Benson says
1980s, there was a concerted
campaign, called ‘Girls Can Do that the ‘National Certificate in
Educational Achievement’, or NCEA,
Anything’, which was aimed at lifting
as New Zealand’s high school exams
girls’ participation rates,
are called, is useful to employers
achievement levels and aspirations.
This was so successful that the and to universities because it
provides a fine-grained picture of
pendulum has now swung to the
pupils’ performance in every aspect
other extreme. Views differ on how
of a subject, rather than just a pass
worried people should be. After all,
for much of history, girls were or fail in an overall area. ‘In most
parts of the curriculum, for example
excluded from any form of
in maths, there isn’t really a gender
education, an this new phenomenon
gap. But literacy is a different matter.
could be seen as a temporary
Even boys who are good at writing
tend not to write so much. There’s achievement as a whole. Rob
actually a quantity issue.’ Burroughs, principal of Linwood High
School in Christchurch, agrees. For
D. The discrepancy in reading
three years his school ran separate
and writing skills between males and
boys’ classes to try to address the
females shows up as early
disparity in performance, before
aspreschool, and the difference is
abandoning them. The research
clear by the time these children
showed that the boys did better in
enter high school. Not being good at
their own class than in the co-
literacy was not such a problem in
educational environment. But when
the old days when many students
he looked at which teachers they
left school for manual jobs after Year
had, and how well those teachers’
11. But nowadays many more stay
other classes did, it became clear
on to higher education, and almost
that the difference was, instead, to
all jobs require literacy skills. Roger
do with the quality of instruction.
Moses, the headmaster of
Wellington College, says that the G. At Onslow College, Dr Stuart
written content of NCEA papers is Martin would do away with the NCEA
more demanding than the previous Level 1 exam if he could.
system of secondary school
He says that in Year 11, aged 15,
qualifications in New Zealand, even
boys are simply not mature enough
in subjects such as statistics and
to cope. ‘They tend to think that just
accounting.
passing is enough, and that it’s not
E. New Zealand 15-year-olds do necessary to work hard for a Merit or
very well in international reading an Excellence grade. Often they are
tests, but beneath this average lies a busy with other activities and part-
wide variance, with New Zealand time jolts. Boys’ competitive instinct
European girls most represented at tends to come out later in their
the top and New Zealand Pacific schooling years, especially if there is
Island boys at the bottom. Yet some money attached or other tangible
European girls drop out, and some rewards. By 17, boys are catching up
Pacific Island boys excel. In other academically with the girls, and by
words, the range in performance the end of Year 13, boys are again
within each gender group is much winning the top prizes.’
greater than the gender differences.
H. Boys in single-sex schools do
Ethnic differences, and differences
better in NCEA across all levels,
in socio-economic status, may be
something economist Brian Easton
more significant than the simple
reported after analysing data from
boy/girl explanation.
the first year of NCEA’s
F. This makes the Education implementation. He said the results
Ministry nervous about pushing were valid, even when socio-
solutions that emphasise economic status was taken into
stereotyped gender differences, account. Dr Paul Baker, head of
rather than looking at under- Waitaki Boys’ High School in
Oamaru, agrees. He thinks that
although it is possible for all schools
to do more to boost boys’
performance, it is easier in a boys’
school, where activities cannot be
‘captured by girls
Questions 14-16 Complete the summary below.

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.

Write your answers in boxes 14-16 on your answer sheet

High school assessment in New Zealand

New Zealanders are worried at the outcomes of their high school assessment system, because the
14……… of girls are higher than those of boys by 10%. A gender gap has been

apparent for over a 15……. This situation is not unique to New Zealand, and has

been noticed in 16……… also.

Questions 17-20

Reading Passage 2 has eight paragraphs, A-H.

Which paragraph contains the following information9

Write the correct letter, A-H, in boxes 17-20 on your answer sheet.

17 an advantage of New Zealand’s secondary school tests

18 a mention of current government initiatives to boost male achievement

19 when gender difference in literacy skills first becomes evident

findings that relate academic achievement to race

Questions 21-26
Look at the following people (Questions 21-26) and the list of statements below. Match
each person with the correct statement, A-H.
Write the correct letter, A-H, in boxes 21-26 on your answer sheet
21 Celia Lashlie

22 Steve Benson

23 Roger Moses

24 Rob Burroughs
25 Stuart Martin
26 Paul Baker
 List of Statements

A Boys gain lower marks on NCEA if they attend an all-boys’ school.

B Boys are disadvantaged by girls tending to take over at school.
C Good teaching is more important than whether classrooms are singlesex or
mixed.
D Mathematical skills were not so important in the past.
E The difference in achievement between school boys and girls is only
evident in some subjects.
F Older boys are more motivated to study than younger boys.
G The NCEA exams have higher literacy standards than past exams did.
H The New Zealand government is reluctant to take action on behalf of boys.
 Leaf-Cutting Ants and Fungus
A. The ants and their agriculture have been extensively
studied over the years, but the recent research has
uncovered intriguing new findings about the fungus they
cultivate, how they domesticated it and how they cultivate
it and preserve it from pathogens. For example, the fungus
farms, which the ants were thought to keep free of
pathogens, turn out to be vulnerable to a devastating mold,
found nowhere else but in ants’ nests. To keep the mold in
check, the ants long ago made a discovery that would do
credit to any pharmaceutical laboratory.

B. Leaf-cutting ants and their fungus farms are a marvel of nature and perhaps the best-known
example of symbiosis, the mutual dependence of two species. The ants’ achievement is
remarkable --the biologist Edward O. Wilson has called it “one of the major breakthroughs in animal
evolution” --because it allows them to eat, courtesy of their mushroom’s digestive powers, the
otherwise poisoned harvest of tropical forests whose leaves are laden with terpenoids, alkaloids
and other chemicals designed to sicken browsers.

C. Fungus growing seems to have originated only once in evolution, because all gardening ants
belong to a single tribe, the descendants of the first fungus farmer. There are more than 200 known
species of the attine ant tribe, divided into 12 groups, or genera. The leafcutters use fresh
vegetation; the other groups, known as the lower attines because their nests are smaller and their
techniques more primitive, feed their gardens with detritus like dead leaves, insects and feces.

D. The leafcutters’ fungus was indeed descended from a single strain, propagated clonally, or just
by budding, for at least 23 million years. But the lower attine ants used different varieties of the
fungus, and in one case a quite separate species, the four biologists discovered. The pure strain of
fungus grown by the leafcutters, it seemed to Mr. Currie, resembled the monocultures of various
human crops, that are very productive for a while and then succumb to some disastrous pathogen,
such as the Irish potato blight. Monocultures, which lack the genetic diversity to respond to
changing environmental threats, are sitting ducks for parasites. Mr. Currie felt there had to be a
parasite in the ant fungus system. But a century of ant research offered no support for the idea.
Textbooks describe how leaf-cutter ants scrupulously weed their gardens of all foreign organisms.
“People kept telling me, ‘You know the ants keep their gardens free of parasites, don’t you?’ “Mr.
Currie said of his efforts to find a hidden interloper.

E. But after three years of sifting through attine ant gardens, Mr. Currie discovered they are far from
free of infections. In last month’s issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, he
and two colleagues, Dr. Mueller and David Mairoch, isolated several alien organisms, particularly a
family of parasitic molds called Escovopsis.

F. Escovopsis turns out to be a highly virulent pathogen that can devastate a fungus garden in a
couple of days. It blooms like a white cloud, with the garden dimly visible underneath. In a day or
two the whole garden is enveloped. “Other ants won’t go near it and the ants associated with the
garden just starve to death,” Dr. Rehner said. “They just seem to give up, except for those that have
rescued their larvae. ”The deadly mold then turns greenish brown as it enters its spore-forming
stage.

G. Evidently the ants usually manage to keep Escovopsis and other parasites under control. But
with any lapse in control, or if the ants are removed, Escovopsis will quickly burst forth. Although
new leaf-cutter gardens start off free of Escovopsis, within two years some 60 percent become
infected. The discovery of Escovopsis’s role brings a new level of understanding to the evolution of
the attine ants. “In the last decade, evolutionary biologists have been increasingly aware of the role
of parasites as driving forces in evolution,”Dr. Schultz said. There is now a possible reason to
explain why the lower attine species keep changing the variety of fungus in their mushroom
gardens, and occasionally domesticating new ones—to stay one step ahead of the relentless
Escovopsis.

H. Interestingly, Mr. Currie found that the leafcutters had in general fewer alien molds in their
gardens than the lower attines, yet they had more Escovopsis infections. It seems that the price
they pay for cultivating a pure variety of fungus is a higher risk from Escovopsis. But the leafcutters
may have little alternative: they cultivate a special variety of fungus which, unlike those grown by
the lower attines, produces nutritious swollen tips for the ants to eat.

I. Discovery of a third partner in the ant-fungus symbiosis raises the question of how the attine ants,
especially the leafcutters, keep this dangerous interloper under control. Amazingly enough, Mr.
Currie has again provided the answer. “People have known for a hundred years that ants have a
whitish growth on the cuticle,” said Dr. Mueller, referring to the insects’ body surface. “People would
say this is like a cuticular wax. But Cameron was the first one in a hundred years to put these things
under a microscope. He saw it was not inert wax. It is alive.” Mr. Currie discovered a specialized
patch on the ants’ cuticle that harbors a particular kind of bacterium, one well known to the
pharmaceutical industry, because it is the source of half the antibiotics used in medicine. From
each of 22 species of attine ant studied, Mr. Cameron and colleagues isolated a species of
Streptomyces bacterium, they reported in Nature in April. The Streptomyces does not have much
effect on ordinary laboratory funguses. But it is a potent poisoner of Escovopsis, inhibiting its
growth and suppressing spore formation. It also stimulates growth of the ants’ mushroom fungus.
The bacterium is carried by virgin queens when they leave to establish new nests, but is not found
on male ants, playboys who take no responsibility in nest-making or gardening.

J. Because both the leafcutters and the lower attines use Streptomyces, the bacterium may have
been part of their symbiosis for almost as long as the Escovopsis mold. If so, some Alexander
Fleming of an ant discovered antibiotics millions of years before people did. Even now, the ants are
accomplishing two feats beyond the powers of human technology. The leafcutters are growing a
monocultural crop year after year without disaster, and they are using an antibiotic apparently so
wisely and prudently that, unlike people, they are not provoking antibiotic resistance in the target
pathogen.
Questions 14-19

Use the information in the passage to match the options (listed A-C) with activities or features of
ants below.

Write the appropriate letters A-C in boxes 14-19 on your answer sheet.

NB You may use any letter more than once

A Leaf-cutting ants

B Lower attines

C Both

14 Build small nests and live with the different foreign fungus.

15 Use toxic leaves to feed the fungus.

16 Raise fungus which doesn’t live with other foreigners.

17 Use substance to fight against Escovopsis.

18 Use dead vegetable to feed the fungus.

19 Are free of parasites explained previously?

Questions 20-24

The Reading Passage has ten paragraphs A-J.

Which paragraph contains the following information?

Write the correct letter A-J, in boxes 20-24 on your answer sheet.

20 Dangerous outcome of Escovopsis.

21 The disadvantage of growing single fungus.

22 comparison of features of two different nests.

23 Two achievements made by ants earlier than human.

24 Advantage of growing a new breed of fungus.

Questions 25-26

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

Write your answers in boxes 25-26 on your answer sheet.

25 How does the author think of Currie’s opinion?

A his viewpoint was verified later.

B earlier study has sufficient evidence.

C no details mentioned in the article.

D his opinion was proved to be wrong.

26 What did scientists find on the skin of ants under a microscope?

A some white cloud mold embed in their skin

B that Wax is all over their skin.

C a substance which is useful to humans.

D a substance which suppresses the growth of fungus.

 Language diversity
One of the most influential ideas in the study of languages is that of universal grammar (UG). Put forward
by Noam Chomsky in the 1960s, it is widely interpreted as meaning that all languages are basically the
same, and that the human brain is born language-ready, with an in-built programme that is able to
interpret the common rules underlying any mother tongue. For five decades this idea prevailed, and
influenced work in linguistics, psychology and cognitive science. To understand language, it implied, you
must sweep aside the huge diversity of languages, and find their common human core.

Since the theory of UG was proposed, linguists have identified many universal language rules. However,
there are almost always exceptions. It was once believed, for example, that if a language had syllables[1]
that begin with a vowel and end with a consonant (VC), it would also have syllables that begin with a
consonant and end with a vowel (CV). This universal lasted until 1999, when linguists showed that
Arrernte, spoken by Indigenous Australians from the area around Alice Springs in the Northern Territory,
has VC syllables but no CV syllables.

Other non-universal universals describe the basic rules of putting words together. Take the rule that every
language contains four basic word classes: nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs. Work in the past two
decades has shown that several languages lack an open adverb class, which means that new adverbs
cannot be readily formed, unlike in English where you can turn any adjective into an adverb, for example
‘soft’ into ‘softly’. Others, such as Lao, spoken in Laos, have no adjectives at all. More controversially,
some linguists argue that a few languages, such as Straits Salish, spoken by indigenous people from
north-western regions of North America, do not even have distinct nouns or verbs. Instead, they have a
single class of words to include events, objects and qualities.

Even apparently indisputable universals have been found lacking. This includes recursion, or the ability to
infinitely place one grammatical unit inside a similar unit, such as ‘Jack thinks that Mary thinks that ... the
bus will be on time’. It is widely considered to be the most essential characteristic of human language,
one that sets it apart from the communications of all other animals. Yet Dan Everett at Illinois State
University recently published controversial work showing that Amazonian Piraha does not have this
quality.

But what if the very diversity of languages is the key to understanding human communication? Linguists
Nicholas Evans of the Australian National University in Canberra, and Stephen Levinson of the Max
Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, believe that languages do not share a
common set of rules. Instead, they say, their sheer variety is a defining feature of human communication -
something not seen in other animals. While there is no doubt that human thinking influences the form that
language takes, if Evans and Levinson are correct, language in turn shapes our brains. This suggests that
humans are more diverse than we thought, with our brains having differences depending on the language
environment in which we grew up. And that leads to a disturbing conclusion: every time a language
becomes extinct, humanity loses an important piece of diversity.

If languages do not obey a single set of shared rules, then how are they created? ‘Instead of universals.
you get standard engineering solutions that languages adopt again and again, and then you get outliers.'
says Evans. He and Levinson argue that this is because any given language is a complex system shaped
by many factors, including culture, genetics and history. There- are no absolutely universal traits of
language, they say, only tendencies. And it is a mix of strong and weak tendencies that characterizes the
‘bio-cultural’ mix that we call language.

According to the two linguists, the strong tendencies explain why many languages display common
patterns. A variety of factors tend to push language in a similar direction, such as the structure of the
brain, the biology of speech, and the efficiencies of communication. Widely shared linguistic elements
may also be ones that build on a particularly human kind of reasoning. For example, the fact that before
we learn to speak we perceive the world as a place full of things causing actions (agents) and things
having actions done to them (patients) explains why most languages deploy these grammatical categories.

Weak tendencies, in contrast, are explained by the idiosyncrasies of different languages. Evans and
Levinson argue that many aspects of the particular natural history of a population may affect its language.
For instance, Andy Butcher at Flinders University in Adelaide, South Australia, has observed that
indigenous Australian children have by far the highest incidence of chronic middle-ear infection of any
population on the planet, and that most indigenous Australian languages lack many sounds that are
common in other languages, but which are hard to hear with a middle-ear infection. Whether this
condition has shaped the sound systems of these languages is unknown, says Evans, but it is important to
consider the idea.

Levinson and Evans are not the first to question the theory of universal grammar, but no one has
summarized these ideas quite as persuasively, and given them as much reach. As a result, their arguments
have generated widespread enthusiasm, particularly among those linguists who are tired of trying to
squeeze their findings into the straitjacket of ‘absolute universals’. To some, it is the final nail in UG’s
coffin. Michael Tomasello, co-director of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in
Leipzig, Germany, has been a long-standing critic of the idea that all languages conform to a set of rules.
‘Universal grammar is dead,’ he says.
Questions 27-32
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the Reading Passage?
In following statements below, choose
YES if the statement agrees with the information
NO if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this
27 In the final decades of the twentieth century, a single theory of language learning was dominant.
28 The majority of UG rules proposed by linguists do apply to all human languages.
29 There is disagreement amongst linguists about an aspect of Straits Salish grammar.
30 The search for new universal language rules has largely ended.
31 If Evans and Levinson are right, people develop in the same way no matter what language they speak.
32 The loss of any single language might have implications for the human race

Questions 33 - 37
Choose appropriate options A, B, C or D.
33 Which of the following views about language are held by Evans and Levinson?
A. Each of the world’s languages develops independently.
B. The differences between languages outweigh the similarities.
C. Only a few language features are universal.
D. Each language is influenced by the characteristics of other languages.

34 According to Evans and Levinson, apparent similarities between languages could be due to
A. close social contact.
B. faulty analysis.
C. shared modes of perception.
D. narrow descriptive systems.
35 In the eighth paragraph, what does the reference to a middle-ear infection serve as?

A. A justification for something.

B. A contrast with something.
C. The possible cause of something.
D. The likely result of something.
36 What does the writer suggest about Evans’ and Levinson’s theory of language development?

A. It had not been previously considered.

B. It is presented in a convincing way.
C. It has been largely rejected by other linguists.
D. It is not supported by the evidence.

37Which of the following best describes the writer’s purpose?

A. To describe progress in the field of cognitive science.
B. To defend a long-held view of language learning.
C. To identify the similarities between particular languages.
D. To outline opposing views concerning the nature of language.
Question 38 - 40
Complete each sentences with correct ending
List of Endings
A words of a certain grammatical type.
B a sequence of sounds predicted by UG.
C words which can have more than one meaning.
D the language feature regarded as the most basic.
E sentences beyond a specified length.

The Arrernte language breaks a ‘rule’ concerning 38…………

The Lao language has been identified as lacking 39………….
It has now been suggested that Amazonia Piraha does not have 40 …………….
READING PASSAGE 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on Reading
Passage 1 on pages 2 and 3.

Museums and family visitors in Australia

Museums in Australia have recognised the need to become more responsive to their
audiences, especially families who visit museums in large numbers. Research has
consistently found that positive early family visits to museums have a significant impact on
later visiting habits. What is more, researchers have identified the importance of learning in
family visits and the different roles that various family members play before, during and after
their visit.

For many years museums in Australia have acknowledged the importance of families as
visitors, with several establishing separate spaces for these groups, especially those with very
young children. Major museums have developed dedicated spaces specifically designed for
children and families. For example, the Melbourne Museum's Children's Gallery is aimed at
three- to eight-year-olds and has a mandate to encourage children to discover and explore
within a range of science issues. The goal is to provide an interactive, hands-on and playful
space that engages all the senses through continually updated exhibitions. The National
Museum of Australia in Canberra developed Kspace, an interactive space where children
'design their own future with the help of technology. This museum also designed Our Place, a
series of cosy play spaces where children can explore the museum's themes in their own
ways.

Other museums have also considered the entire family when designing their dedicated
spaces. The Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney, when developing Pirates, its
below-the-deck pirate ship experience, realised that exhibitions aimed at children, particularly
school-aged children, also needed more sophisticated exhibits to occupy their accompanying
parents. The Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, while catering to varying tastes within families
through its many temporary exhibitions and programs, recognised the value of a dedicated
space for children who were visiting with their parents. The museum's installation, Zoe's
House, caters specifically for children aged three to five years, to facilitate cooperation in
children through play.

Family visits to museums in Australia share a number of characteristics. Generally, visitors

take time for orientation, enter with a sense of curiosity, link what they see to their own prior
experiences and are most attracted to interactive displays. Their common viewing behaviour
involves looking very closely at each display in the first gallery and then skimming and moving
randomly in subsequent galleries. Their visiting behaviour is modified by increased
experience with the setting: they like to revisit favourite displays, share their viewing and
learning in a social context and interact with people from the museum. They respond to
physical needs by using the comfortable chairs provided or having a break after a little more
than an hour, and generally stay for two hours at most.
Research has found that adult members of family groups play three roles which are
particularly relevant to the family group during the visit, visit manager by directing and
organising; museum expert through explaining clarifying and correcting; and learning-
facilitator in questioning and reminiscing. These roles occur simultaneously, are closely linked
to the process of learning and are dependent on both the social context of the visit and the
group composition, particularly the ages of any accompanying children.

Parents consider museum visits to be valuable in creating and strengthening relationships

with their children and in enabling them to tune into what fascinates their children. Parents
make use of learning facilities such as open access libraries and activity kits if they know the
resources are there and understand their role. Family members each take notice of different
aspects of an exhibit and construct a shared meaning together. Museums are seen as a good
clay out, something the whole family can enjoy as a different form of education and are
generally considered good value for money.
In this increasingly complex world, where the real and virtual are blurring, and where changes
in society can seem overwhelming, museums are able to provide spaces for families to be
together as well as learn together. Parents value museum visits because they provide
children with opportunities to learn in different ways through bringing concepts to life and
enhancing school learning experiences. Museums stimulate visitors of all ages and open their
minds to new ideas, the world around them, history and other cultures. Children enjoy
museums as places where they can fantasise, explore and learn in ways that are more
engaging than they experience in more formal settings, such as school. Museums need to
identify the elements that families value, the ways families interact with museums, and how
museums operate as extremely effective learning units. The challenge is for museums to then
apply these principles, not only to the development of future exhibitions and programs, but
also to the ways they plan for all visitors.
Questions 1-5 Complete the table below

Chose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer Write your answer in

boxes 1-5 on you answer sheet

Dedicated museum spaces for families with children
Museums Dedicated spaces Target users Aim of dedicated spaces
Melbourne Museum Children's Gallery 3-8 year olds - present 1.............. topics
in interesting ways
- stimulate children's senses
National Museum of Kspace Our Place Children Use 2..................... to
Australia imagine the future
Australian National Pirates - Children of Stimulate the life of a pirate
Maritime Museum school age 3...

4 ................. Zoe's House Pre-schoolers Use play to encourage 5

Museum ................ between children

Questions 6 - 9 Complete the notes below

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer

Write your answers in boxes 6-9 on your answer sheet

Family visits to museums
When families visit museums, they usually:
• determine the location of exhibits
• prefer exhibits that are 6 .....................
• move slowly through the first gallery
• move without planning through the remaining galleries
• enjoy seeing their 7 .................... a second time
• speak to staff
• sit or take a 8....................
• stay for a maximum of 9......................
Questions 10 -13

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1 ? In

boxes 10-13 on your answer sheet, write

TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE NOT if the statement contradicts the information
GIVEN if there is no information on this

10. Some adult visitors behave like a museum specialist when guiding younger
visitors.
11. It is more enjoyable to visit a museum with a group of children who are all the same
age.
12. Parents think that the cost of visiting museums is too high.
13. Children want to visit museums after they learn about a topic at school.
READING PASSAGE 2
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26, which are based on Reading
Passage 2 on pages 6 and 7

Preserving Antarctic History

Protecting early buildings in Antarctica
A Few people conjuring up the 'most comfortable dwelling place imaginable are likely to
picture a wooden shelter on an island off the coldest continent on Earth. But that's how
Antarctic explorer Robert Falcon Scott described the hut at Cape Evans on Ross Island
that was the base for his 1910-13 expedition.
The hut is nested below a small hill on a long stretch of black sand. In 2011, it looked like
a building site, but now, seals lie on the ice in front of the newly restored structure and sun
reflects off the cliffs of the nearby glacier.

B The New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust (NZAHT) and its team of conservation
workers recently announced the completion of 10 years of intensive work to save three
historic buildings on Ross Island. As well as the hut at Cape Evans, it has worked on the
Discovery Hut from Scott's 1901-04 expedition at Hut Point, and the hut at Cape Royds,
built for Ernest Shackleton's 1907-09 expedition. When work began, many of the artefacts
were temporarily removed while carpenters from the team of conservation workers
repaired the walls, floors and roof. In Scott's 'zone of command' was the table where team
member Edward Wilson made his enduring biological and botanical illustrations. In a dark
corner nearby, Edward Atkinson had once incubated his moulds and parasites. Of
particular interest is the small workbench and array of test tubes, sample jars and Bunsen
burner stands of biologist Edward Nelson, lit by sunshine through a dusty window. This
was where the young scientist preserved marine specimens as part of his search for new
species and an understanding of the Antarctic food chain.

C The NZAHT executive director Nigel Watson describes the three restored huts as
'fantastic remnants of humans first contact with the continent'. The idea for the birth of the
conservation project, he says, was the fact that we were in great danger of losing them'.
When the on-site work began in 2004, snow and ice were building up around, under and
sometimes inside the huts, damaging the structures and threatening their contents. 'We
now have three buildings that are structurally sound and watertight with a very different
feel - they are drier and lighter and the humidity is reduced. It's a much better environment
for the collection.

D As well as heritage carpenters, the NZAHT team on Ross Island has included experts in
textile, paper and metal conservation: in total, 62 experts from 11 countries have visited
Antarctica to work on the project, often spending a whole summer on-site, sleeping in
tents and popping 25km back to Scott Base for the occasional shower. It became known
as the most exciting conservation project in the world,' says Watson,
'so it attracted top heritage conservation talent.'
E Some of the most exciting discoveries were three intact crates of Mackinlay's Rare Old
Highland Mait Whisky' found encased in ice beneath Shackleton's hut, a paper notebook
that belonged to surgeon, zoologist and photographer George Murray Levick found buried
in dirt at Cape Evans and a small box of 22 cellulose nitrate negatives waiting to be
developed into photographs found in Herbert Ponting's darkroom. But most of the 18,202
items catalogued and conserved are more mundane: food, tools, clothing and other
personal items that were not precious enough to be taken home on the return voyages.

F The NZAHT team's conservation treatments involved thorough cleaning, followed by

chemical treatment to help slow, or even reverse, the deterioration. Metal items would go
through corrosion removal, followed by a chemical stabilisation treatment, then application
of an oxygen and moisture barrier to prevent further corrosion. Treatment of paper items
often involved washing to remove harmful acids and salts and to help reinforce the fibres
so that in some cases the paper was even stronger than before.

G As a result of the project, the NZAHT has become the world leader in cold- climate
heritage conservation and its members have been interviewed for numerous television
documentaries and radio reports. The Ross Island huts are the jewels in the crown', says
Watson, but there are other historic buildings needing attention. With logistics support
from Antarctica New Zealand, programme managers Al Fastier and Lizzie Meek will be
part of a small team heading to Cape Adare, an exposed site more than 700km north of
Scott Base. The two Cape Adare huts, remnants of an 1898 - 1900 British expedition, 'are
not only the first buildings on the continent', says Watson, but also the only example of
humanity's first buildings on any continent on Earth'

H The three-year restoration effort will involve construction repairs and the removal,
conservation and return of about 1100 objects. Compared with the hut sites on Ross
Island, which are relatively sheltered, Cape Adare is a very remote and challenging place
to work in', says Watson. It's set among the world's biggest colony of Adélie penguins on
an exposed spit of land, and it is important that they don't interrupt the functioning of the
colony in any way while they are there. Lizzie Meek looks forward to the challenge. But I'm
also looking forward to going back to the Ross Island huts and seeing them with fresh
eyes. After so many years of working on them, to be able to step inside and look around to
see what we have accomplished will be amazing.'

I If you can find your way to Antarctica, you'll need a permit to visit any of these huts,
which are each in an Antarctic Specially Protected Area. But there's an easier way to see
them without making the long journey: the trust has partnered with Google to offer Street
View walkthroughs of each of the dwellings, available via Google Earth or through the
NZAHT's website.

Questions 1 4 - 1 9

Reading Passage 2 has nine paragraphs, A-l.

Which paragraph contains the following information?

Write the correct letter, A-l, in boxes 14-19 on your answer sheet.

14 a reason the early explorers left some objects behind

15 an explanation of how to see the huts without travelling to Antarctica

16 reference to the fact that Robert Falcon Scott enjoyed the time he spent living in the
hut

17 reference to how the Ross island project has received attention from the media

18 the reason the trust decided to begin conservation work at Ross Island

19 a description of the process for preserving paper

Questions 20 and 21

Choose TWO letters, A-E.

Write the correct letters in boxes 20 and 21 on your answer sheet.

Which TWO research activities were carried out by Scott's expedition team?
A collecting samples of sea life
B monitoring penguin behaviour
C studying the effects of cold on the humanbody
D keeping a record of Antarctic weather patterns
E drawing pictures of plants and animals

Questions 22 and 23

Choose TWO letters, A-E.

Write the correct letters in boxes 22 and 23 on your answer sheet.

Which TWO statements are true about the conservation workers on Ross Island?

A They lived in Scott's huts while carrying out the work.

B They were in Antarctica for months at a time.
C They had previously worked together in New Zealand.
D They restored the contents as well as the buildings themselves.
E They had no access to showers at all.

Questions 24 - 26 Complete the summary below.

Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.

Write your answers in boxes 24-26 on your answer sheet.

 Cape Adare
Cape Adare is located several hundred kilometres north of Scott's hut. The huts on
Cape Adare are not as 24 ...................... as those on Ross Island and the workers
have to be careful not to disturb the group of 25........................ living nearby. Visitors to
Antarctica must have a 26 ...................... to see the restored huts.
READING PASSAGE 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on Reading Passage 1 on pages
2 and 3.

Rubber

T and W Musgrove discuss the origins and early uses of rubber

The plants that produce rubber are spread right across the globe, and grow in many different habitats.
One might think it likely, therefore, that humankind has known about rubber for thousands of years. Yet,
unlike other crops of economic importance, rubber led a relatively anonymous life until the last 150
years or so. The Indians of South America appear to be the first people to have understood the
properties of rubber, and the Aztecs of what is now Mexico were the first to be recorded using the
substance; a wall painting dating back to the sixth century depicts a scene of a tributary offering of crude
rubber. With the arrival of Columbus in the Americas and the resulting Spanish influx, further evidence
starts to appear concerning the Native American use of rubber.Antonio de Herrera y Tordesillas describes
a ritual game played with a rubber ball at the court of the Aztec Emperor Montezuma II, and the Mayan
and Toltec people are known to have taken part in similar activities.Rubber was also used to make
raincoats, shoes, jars, torches and musical instruments, all of which must have been made from the
indigenous Castilla elástica, as the Para plant now favoured for rubber cultivation does not grow in the
Mexican region.

The first description of latex (liquid rubber) extraction is made by Juan de Torquemada, who noted that if
a receptacle was not at hand the Native Americans would place the latex on their bodies to allow it to
solidify.However, no real interest in rubber was shown by any European until Charles de la Condamine, a
French mathematician, published an account of his journey to South America in 1735. The journey was
undertaken on behalf of the Paris Academy of Sciences to measure an arc of the meridian line on the
equator, but the journey home was to turn out to be more significant than the true purpose of the trip.
Condamine explored Brazil and Peru and discovered how the local people used one single piece of
coagulated latex to make boots. The boots were impervious to water and, when smoked, looked like real
leather. In 1747 the first description of the rubber tree and who was posted to French Guiana. The
publications of Condamine and Fresneau created latex tapping was made by a military engineer and
amateur botanist, François Fresneau, considerable excitement among French scientists, and an attempt
was made to discover a solvent that could turn the crude rubber into a substance for commercial
exploitation. (SE education)

In 1818 a British medical student named James Syme first used rubber to make waterproof cloth.
Another early use of the substance was as an eraser of pencil marks, hence the name 'rubber. This was
complemented by balloons, rubber bands, braces, boots for the army and other ideas that met with
varying degrees of success. In 1820 Thomas Hancock, an English manufacturer of rubber goods such as
driving belts, industrial rollers and rubber hoses, invented a machine he called the 'piokle', which
chewed up waste strips for re-use. It was discovered that the masticated rubber was more malleable,
while maintaining much of its elasticity. In Scotland at the same time Charles Mackintosh had discovered
a way of using rubber as waterproofing material, by a process he patented in 1823. Hancock and
Mackintosh joined forces in 1834, and three years later Hancock invented a machine for spreading
rubber onto material.
Despite their beneficial qualities, such as waterproofing, rubber goods were still not particularly popular
as they had some major flaws, including the fact that they dissolved malodorously. They also became
pliant when warm and rigid when cold. Then in 1839 the American Charles Goodyear discovered that it
was possible to stabilise rubber by mixing it with sulphur while exposing it to heat - a process he called
vulcanisation - and the full versatility of this extraordinary substance became apparent.(SE education)

Rubber goods could now be manufactured which had all the beneficial qualities of the material, such as
durability, elasticity and variability, but which were not sticky, soluble or governed by the vagaries of the
weather.The economic potential of rubber was now clearly evident. It played an important role in the
Industrial Revolution, being employed in the steam engines found in factories, mills, mines and railways.
It made a triumphant entrance as a new and innovative material at the Great Exhibition of 1851, where
shoes, airbeds, furniture and clothing made out of newly improved rubber were proudly displayed.

One of the most important rubber inventions was made in 1888, when an Irishman called John Boyd
Dunlop produced the first pneumatic tyre. Solid rubber tyres had been used for the previous 18 years,
but Dunlop's new design, which he updated in 1890, immediately became popular. In 1895 Dunlop's
tyres were first used in motor cars, and with the mass production of cars just over the horizon the rubber
industry had never looked healthier.The import levels of rubber over the nineteenth century bear
witness to its irrepressible rise. In 1830 Britain had imported just 211 kg of crude rubber. This had risen
to 10,000kg in 1857, and by 1874 levels were just under six times as much again.

Questions 1-6

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?

In boxes 1-6 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 1 .Rubber plants
grow only in certain regions of the world.

2. Rubber was extracted in Mexico as early as the sixth century.

3. Rubber from the Castilla elástica plant is of poorer quality than that from the Para plant.

4. A French mathematician inspired real interest in rubber amongst Europeans.

5. The process of vulcanisation was discovered by accident.

6. Imports of crude rubber into Britain fell during the nineteenth century.
Questions 7-13 Complete the summary below.

The Commercial Development of Rubber

Early European travellers gave accounts of various rubber objects in use in Central and South America,
and these accounts created interest in the commercial exploitation of rubber.ln 1818, 7…………………, was
produced using rubber, and in 1820 a machine was invented for recycling 8……………………. of rubber. Over
the next few years, other attempts were made toimprove rubber, but some problems remained. For
example, rubber products smelt bad when they were dissolved, and could turn either soft or
9……………….depending on the temperature.However, in 1839 a new process to 10……………………., the
substance greatly increased its potential. For example, rubber was used in the creation of the 11
…………………… industry during the Industrial Revolution. Then in 1888 the 12. ……………………was
developed,and a few years later the 13………………….of the motor car began.
SE EDUCATION ZALO: 0793165145

READING PASSAGE 3
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27-40, which are based on Reading Passage 3
on pages 10 and 11.

The strange world of sight

Seeing is believing, it is said. But, asks Richard Gregory, could it
be the other way round?
Two of the great British men of the 17th century, the philosopher John Locke and the physicist
Isaac Newton, were both aware that objects are not coloured, and that against all appearances
light is not coloured either. This is still not generally recognised even now, 400 years later,
because it seems to implausible. Yet it tells us something very important - that perceptions are
not identical with what we perceive, and may be very different.
The most accurate historical account of perception is that date 19th-century German scientist
Hermann von Helmholtz. However, it was ridiculed at the time. Von Helmholtz thought that
perceptions are unconscious inferences we make based on a combination of clues provided by
the eyes and other senses, and knowledge of the world. This idea of unconscious inference for
perception preceded, by several years, the psychoanalyst Freud’s notion of the unconscious,
which was also initially treated with derision because it undermined the notion of humans as pre-
eminently rational beings who could he held responsible for their actions and awarded blame or
praise accordingly.
Crucially, perception of the present depends on rich, though of course not always correct or
appropriate, knowledge from the past. We interpret sense data (what we hear, touch, taste, see
and smell) from the present according to what we already know. This raises the question: if we
see the present through memory, why aren’t past and present confused? The pioneering Russian
neurologist Alexander Luria described the case of Mr S, who had a remarkable memory.
However, he was prone to just such confusions, for example mistaking seeing his clock for
remembering it, and so failing to get up in the morning. This suggests that perhaps an important
function of perception is to underline the present. Individual perceptions have a vividness that is
rare for memories, which might be how we are able to separate them. Try this: look at something
for a few seconds, and then shut your eyes and visualise it in memory. You will almost certainly
find that the memory is pale by comparison with the perception. Perhaps this is why past and
present are not normally confused. Luria’s Mr S had exceptionally vivid memories, and rich
synaesthesia (experiencing perceptions from another sense as well as the one being stimulated,
such as musical notes experienced as colours), which may be why he confused seeing with
having seen.
The complexity of processes involved in how we see first impressed itself on me 45 years
ago. With my colleague Jean Wallace, I studied the rare case of Sydney Bradford, a man who
had been born blind but, through a comeal graft at the age of 52, suddenly found himself able to
see. Almost immediately after the operation he was able to ‘see’ but he could only see those
things that he already knew about, having experienced theta through touch. It was his touch
memories that enabled him to perceive them with his eyes. When Bradford was first taken to the
zoo, he proved utterly unable to see an elephant as he had no knowledge to make sense of his

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perceptions.
The more recent case in California of Mike May, who was also bom blind, is similar.
Since his operation, his sight has gradually improved as he learns to see, for example, by
understanding how shadows represent depth and tell us about the shape of things. Some of the
consequences of May’s new-found vision were less happy. He had been a champion blind skier,
but following the operation, he would have to shut his eyes while skiing to block out what he
now found was a terrifying sight.
But acceptance of this intimate connection between memory and perception, even though it
was first noticed in the 17th century, has been slow in brain science. Despite the fact that state-
of-the-art brain imaging shows that perception animates parts of the brain associated with both
present information and memory, most research on memory and perception is still undertaken as
if these were separate processes. Seeing used to be thought of as taking place only in the eyes,
and in quite specialised brain regions; but now it seems that half the brain is occupied with
seeing, requiring a lot of energy. Perhaps this is why we shut our eyes for a rest.
It is not just extreme cases like Mike May, but also much more common errors of seeing -
illusions - that can reveal the crucial role of memory in governing what we (think we) see.
Perception depends on specific knowledge and probabilities. Our brains calculate the likelihood
of what is out there, and when too far-fetched, perceptions are rejected.
A dramatic and discomforting example is looking at the two sides of a face-mask. From the
front it is a convex shape with the nose sticking out. Then if the mask is rotated, the back of the
mask will be seen as convex, though we know that it must be concave. It is almost, if not quite,
impossible to sketch the back of a hollow mask to look as it is - hollow. Science often learns
from what does not happen: people not seeing a hollow face as hollow is the most revealing
experiment on perception. The unsettling truth from brain science is that even people with no
visual impairment see what, at some level, they expect to see, and often miss things as they really
are.

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Questions 27 - 30
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D
Write the correct letter in boxes 27-30 on your answer sheet.
27 Why does the writer refer to Locke and Newton in the first paragraph?
A to indicate that his article will cover several scientific fields

B to stress how much physics has changed in 400 years

C to persuade the reader to take him seriously

D to point out that his notions are not new

28 According to the writer, why was Freud's theory of the unconscious mocked?
A It was too complex for his contemporaries to understand.
B It involved criticism of the way people behaved in society.
C People felt that it devalued the accepted concept of humanity.
D People assumed that it was intended as a joke
29 The writer describes Mr S failing to get up in order to demonstrate
A how realistic most people’s memories are.
B how hard it is to tell dreaming and waking apart.
C how unusual it is to mistake a perception for a memory.
D how valuable knowledge of the past can be.
30 What point is the writer making in the text as a whole?
A Perception involves much more than the data collected by the eyes. B
Learning to see as an adult can be a time-consuming process.
C Science is failing to devote enough attention to sight.
D Human perception is remarkably reliable.

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Questions 31-36
Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in Reading Passage 3?
In boxes 31-36 on your answer sheet, write
YES if the statement agrees with the views of the writer
NO if the statement contradicts the views of the writer
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this
31 Sydney Bradford relied on recollections of objects he had been told about to help him
see after his operation.
32 People who only start to see as adults can learn to see as other people do in time.
33 People who have gained their sight as adults find certain activities harder to do than
before.
34 It is evident now that sight involves the eyes and one particular area of the brain.
35 The mask experiment is particularly useful in training people who are regaining their
sight.
36 People with perfect vision can fail to interpret objects correctly under certain
circumstances.

Questions 37-40
Complete the summary using the list of words, A-J, below.
Write the correct letter, A-J, in boxes 37-40 on your answer sheet.
The mask experiment
In this experiment, having looked at the front of a simple face-mask, subjects look at the reverse.
However, the subjects are convinced that they are still looking at a mask which is 37
.................... in shape. They believe that the 38 ........................... is poking out in the nonnal
manner because that is what they are used to seeing. Attempting to make a 39 .............................
of the mask in this orientation leads to the same problem. The subjects fail to see a concave
form because of the 40 ...................... they have that the features of a face stick out.

A back B brain c view

D convex E sight F nose
G round H hollow I drawing
J preconception

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Task 1: The chart below shows the percentage of different types of household waste that were
recycled in one city between 1992 and 2002.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons
where relevant.

The chart delineates the percentages of different types of household waste that were recycled in a city
across three different years: 1992, 1997, and 2002.
Overall, a clear trend could be observed from the data is an increase in the recycling rates for all types of
materials over the decade. The most significant increases were seen in the recycling of glass and cans.
In 1992, paper was the most recycled material, making up approximately 40% of all recycled waste. Glass
and plastic followed, each constituting around 20% of recycling, with cans at a significantly lower rate of
about 10%. By 1997, each material saw improvements in recycling rates: paper rose to nearly 50%, glass
and plastic each increased to around 30%, and cans jumped to approximately 25%. The most significant
changes occurred by 2002, where the trend of increasing recycling rates continued markedly. Paper still
led, reaching over 60%, but the rise in glass and cans recycling was most striking, with both nearing
50%—a substantial rise from their 1992 levels. Plastic also showed consistent growth, achieving a 40%
recycling rate.
The provided pie charts delineate the percentage of water used for six
different agricultural products and the corresponding percentage of total
income generated from these products in Australia in 2004.

Overall, a striking contrast is observable between water usage and income

generation across the various agricultural sectors, particularly in vegetables
and fruits, which, despite using a substantial portion of water, contribute
differently to the total agricultural income.

In 2004, vegetables accounted for the highest water usage among the
categories, consuming 46% of the agricultural water. However, they
generated a significantly lower proportion of total agricultural income,
only contributing 33%. In stark contrast, fruits, while using 28% of the
water, produced a much larger share of income, at 42%. This showcases a
higher economic return per unit of water used in fruit production
compared to vegetables. The cereals category utilized 12% of the water and
contributed slightly more to the income at 13%. Dairy, using 8% of the
water, also generated an equivalent 8% of the income, indicating efficient
water usage relative to economic output. In contrast, rice and livestock
showed minimal water usage at 3% and 1%, respectively, but their income
contributions were also low, at 1% for rice and 3% for livestock.
The graph provides data on the participation rates of adults in four different
leisure activities in both urban and rural settings over the years 1990 and
2010. Overall, there were noticeable changes in the participation rates in
these activities over the two decades. Reading and photography showed
significant increases in popularity, particularly in urban areas, while playing
and animated play experienced mixed trends.

In 1990, reading was the most popular activity among urban adults with a
participation rate of 61%, which increased to 78% by 2010. In rural areas,
reading also saw an increase, though less dramatic, rising from 71% in 1990
to 78% in 2010. For animated play, the trends were different. In urban areas,
the rate dropped from 10% in 1990 to 10% in 2010, which indicated a decline
in interest. In contrast, rural participation decreased slightly from 18% in
1990 to 14% in 2010. Playing as a leisure activity experienced a notable
decrease in urban areas, falling from 21% in 1990 to 14% in 2010. However,
in rural areas, the participation rate remained stable at 26%, indicating a
sustained interest in physical play in less urbanized settings. Photography
saw substantial growth in both urban and rural areas. In urban regions,
participation increased from 7% in 1990 to 17% in 2010, while in rural areas,
it doubled from 14% to 26%.
The line graph presents data on the adoption of various technological devices in UK
households over a five-year period from 1997 to 2001. Overall, the graph shows a clear trend
of increasing household penetration for all listed technologies except for telephones, which
remained stable. Notably, internet and DVD player usage saw significant growth during this
period.
In 1997, CD players were the most prevalent technology in households, starting at around
60% and rising steadily to approximately 80% by 2001. Telephones had the highest
penetration rate throughout the period, maintaining a consistent presence in about 85% of
homes. Computers also saw substantial growth. In 1997, only about 30% of households had a
computer, but by 2001, this figure had more than doubled to roughly 60%. The most dramatic
increases were observed in the adoption rates of newer technologies: the internet and DVD
players. Internet usage in households was minimal in 1997, at around 10%, but by 2001, it
had climbed sharply to just over 40%. DVD players, introduced around 1999, showed a
remarkable uptake, growing from zero to about 20% of households by 2001.
Task 2: Some people think secondary school students should study international news as one of their
subjects, while others believe this is a waste of valuable school time. To what extent do you agree or
disagree?
The proposition that secondary school students should study international news as a formal subject is
gaining traction. I fully agree with this view, as it equips students with essential global insights and critical
analytical skills, which are indispensable in today's interconnected world.
On one side of my argument, the primary advantage of incorporating international news into the secondary
school curriculum is the development of global awareness among students. In an era marked by
globalization, understanding diverse cultures, international relations, and global economic trends is crucial.
For instance, studying the impacts of international agreements on environmental policies can help students
recognize their role in global stewardship. This knowledge not only prepares them for future careers in a
variety of global fields but also cultivates informed citizens capable of making thoughtful decisions on
international issues.
To add further credence to my belief, regular engagement with international news sharpens students'
critical thinking and reasoning abilities. By discussing global events, students learn to assess sources for
credibility, understand different perspectives, and build well-reasoned arguments. Not only does this
practice enhance their academic skills across subjects but it also potentially prepares them to navigate the
often complex media landscape. For example, discerning bias in news sources could teach students to
approach information with a critical mind, a skill that is increasingly valuable in a world of information
overload.
In conclusion, the integration of international news into secondary education offers profound benefits that
extend beyond traditional learning outcomes. By fostering global awareness and critical thinking, this
curriculum addition helps prepare students for both professional environments and their duties as global
citizens.
Task 2: Some professionals, such as teachers and doctors, make a greater contribution
to society so should be paid more than sport athletes and entertainment stars. To what
extent do you agree or disagree?
The assertion that professionals like teachers and doctors should be compensated more than
sports athletes and entertainment stars due to their societal contributions is a widely debated
topic. While the significance of these professions is undeniable, I fully disagree with the
notion that they should necessarily be paid more than those in sports and entertainment.
On one side of my argument, it is crucial to recognize the profound cultural and emotional
contributions that sports and entertainment make to society. Athletes and entertainers deliver
far more than mere diversion; they offer inspiration, motivation, and a vital means of cultural
expression that unites diverse communities. Take, for example, major international sporting
events such as the Olympics or widespread music tours, which not only bring immense joy
but also foster a sense of unity and national pride among disparate cultural groups. Moreover,
these industries significantly bolster the economy by creating jobs and stimulating tourism,
thereby underscoring their utility beyond simple entertainment. Consequently, the
considerable financial rewards garnered by stars in these fields are a direct reflection of the
extensive value they add on a global scale.
To add further credence to my belief, the compensation structures within sports and
entertainment are influenced by market dynamics and the scarcity of exceptional talent,
which inherently escalates the earning potential for elite athletes and prominent entertainers.
Distinct from more conventional professions, the unique skills displayed by top athletes and
leading artists are not easily duplicated, attributing to their exceptionally high market value.
Consequently, the salaries of these individuals typically mirror the substantial revenues they
generate, encompassing merchandise and sponsorships as a whole. To be more specific, their
elevated earnings undoubtedly represent a practical application of the economic principles of
supply and demand, rather than an assessment of their societal contribution.
In conclusion, while teachers, doctors, and other key professionals undeniably contribute
profoundly to the fundamental aspects of society, the argument that they should be paid more
than individuals in sports and entertainment overlooks the substantial economic and cultural
value provided by these sectors.
Task 2: Some people think that governments should give financial support to creative
artists such as painters and musicians. Others believe that creative artists should be
funded by alternative sources. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
The funding of creative artists, including painters and musicians, is a subject of debate. While
some advocate for governmental support to ensure artists can flourish, others argue that
funding should come from private sources. This essay will examine both viewpoints and
conclude with a personal perspective supporting the latter option.
Proponents of government funding for artists argue that the arts are a vital aspect of national
culture and heritage that require public investment to thrive. By providing financial support,
governments can promote cultural diversity and ensure that the arts are accessible to all, not
just those who can afford to pay. For instance, government grants for artists can help them
focus on their work without the burden of financial constraints, potentially leading to richer,
more diverse cultural outputs that benefit society as a whole. However, this approach can
sometimes lead to excessive governmental control over artistic expression, where funding
may be contingent upon adherence to certain themes or styles that align with political or
ideological agendas.
Conversely, I argue that artists should seek funding from private sources. Such a model
would utilize sources, such as sponsorships, grants from non-governmental organizations, and
revenue from sales and performances, which could not only alleviate the burden on public
finances but also incentivize artists to create work that genuinely resonates with audiences,
thereby fostering a natural selection of art that people are willing to support. Moreover,
relying on alternative funding sources can enhance artistic freedom by reducing dependence
on government preferences and interference. Not only does this approach promote a more
dynamic and independent arts scene but also encourages innovation and entrepreneurship
among artists, who must engage directly with the market and society to secure their funding.
In conclusion, while government funding for artists has its merits, particularly in fostering
accessibility and promoting cultural preservation, the potential drawbacks of such funding
can stifle artistic freedom. I believe that encouraging artists to secure private funding is a
more viable option that ensures artistic independence and stimulates creativity and
engagement with the broader society.
Task 2: Organized tour to remote areas and community is increasingly popular. Is it a positive or
negative development for the local people and the environment?
The growing trend of organized tours to remote areas has sparked debate regarding its impact on local
communities and the environment. This essay will explore both the positive and negative implications of
this development before concluding that it is indeed a disadvantageous tendency.
To a certain extent, there exist some tangible benefits stemming from such a nascent phenomenon. Chief
among them is the economic stimulation they provide to local communities. Organized tours frequently
inject vital revenue into remote areas that often lack varied economic opportunities. Undoubtedly, a
substantial proportion of tourists visiting these isolated regions are willing to spend generously on
accommodation, dining, and local crafts, injecting significant capital into the local economy. This influx of
funds not only invigorates economic activity but also substantially enhances the living standards of
indigenous populations and the quality of local infrastructure. Furthermore, the cultural exchange inherent
in these interactions deepens visitors' understanding and appreciation of local traditions and ways of life,
thereby fostering the preservation of these cultures and enhancing global awareness of their unique values
and challenges.
Nevertheless, the influx of tourists can also precipitate adverse effects, particularly on both the
environment and indigenous cultures. It is undeniable that remote areas, typically ill-equipped to manage
large numbers of visitors, may suffer significant environmental degradation. This can manifest as increased
pollution, disturbances to local wildlife, and excessive pressure on finite resources, such as water supplies
and waste management systems. Additionally, the relentless commercialization of cultural experiences
often dilutes the authenticity of local traditions, transforming them into commodities tailored to satisfy
tourist expectations. This can erode the genuine cultural heritage of the community, leading to a gradual
detachment from traditional practices and a loss of cultural identity.
In conclusion, it is indisputable that the increasing organization of tours to remote regions can produce
certain beneficial outcomes, such as economic stimulation and cultural exchange. However, I maintain that
this trend is ultimately detrimental, primarily because it exacts a heavy toll on the environment and
undermines cultural integrity.