Practice Test 23: Example: How Many Major Career Areas Does The Lecturer Mention?
Practice Test 23: Example: How Many Major Career Areas Does The Lecturer Mention?
PART A. LISTENING
Section 1. Listen to the conversation and complete the table below. Write NO MORE THAN
THREE WORDS for each answer. (10 pts)
TIM JANE
Section 3. Read the passage and choose the best option A, B, C, or D to answer the questions. (15
points)
The human criterion for perfect vision is 20/20 for reading the standard lines on a Snellen eye
chart without a hitch. The score is determined by how well you read lines of letters of different sizes
from 20 feet away. But being able to read the bottom line on the eye chart does not approximate
perfection as far as other species are concerned. Most birds would consider us very visually
handicapped. The hawk, for instance, has such sharp eyes that it can spot a dime on the sidewalk while
perched on top of the Empire State Building. It can make fine visual distinctions because it is blessed
with one million cones per square millimeter in its retina. And in water, humans are farsighted, while
the kingfisher, swooping down to spear fish, can see well in both the air and water because it is
endowed with two foveae – areas of the eye, consisting mostly of cones, that provide visual
distinctions. One foveae permits the bird, while in the air, to scan the water below with one eye at a
time. This is called monocular vision. Once it hits the water, the other fovea joins in, allowing the
kingfisher to focus both eyes, like binoculars, on its prey at the same time. A frog’s vision is
distinguished by its ability to perceive things as a constant motion picture. Known as “bug detectors”, a
highly developed set of cells in a frog’s eyes responds mainly to moving objects. So, it is said that a
frog sitting in a field of dead bugs wouldn’t see them as food and would starve.
The bee has a “compound” eye, which is used for navigation. It has 15,000 facets that divide
what it sees into a pattern of dots, or mosaic. With this kind of vision, the bee sees the sun only as a
single dot, a constant point of reference. Thus, the eye is a superb navigational instrument that
constantly measures the angle of its line of flight in relation to the sun. A bee’s eye also gauges flight
speed. And if that is not enough to leave our 20/20 “perfect vision” paling into insignificance, the bee
is capable of seeing something we can’t – ultraviolet light. Thus, what humans consider to be “perfect
vision” is in fact rather limited when we look at other species. However, there is still much to be said
for the human eye. Of all the mammals, only humans and some primates can enjoy the pleasures of
color vision.
Question 1. What does the passage mainly discuss?
A. limits of the human eye C. different eyes for different uses
B. perfect vision D. eye variation among different species
Question 2. The word “criterion” in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to
A. standard B. need C. expectation D. rule
Question 3. The phrase “without a hitch” in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to
A. unaided B. without glasses C. with little hesitation D. easily
Question 4. According to the passage, why might birds and animals consider humans very visually
handicapped?
A. humans can’t see very well in either air or water
B. human eyes are not as well suited to our needs
C. the main outstanding feature of human eyes is color vision
D. human eyes can’t do what their eyes can do
Question 5. The word “that” in paragraph 1 refers to
A. foveae B. areas of the eye C. ones D. visual distinctions
Question 6. According to the passage, “bug detectors” are useful for
A. navigation C. avoiding bugs when getting food
B. seeing moving objects D. avoiding starvation
Question 7. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true
A. kingfishers have monocular vision
B. bees see patterns of dots
C. hawks eyes consist mostly of cones that can allow it to scan with one eye at a time
D. humans are farsighted in water
Question 8. Where in the passage does the author discuss that eyes are useful for avoiding starvation?
A. lines 1-5 B. lines 7-10 C. lines 14-18 D. lines 21-24
Question 9. The phrase “paling into insignificance” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to
A. fading away C. without colored light
B. of less importance D. being reduced to little importance
Question 10. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?
A. eyes have developed differently in each species
B. humans should not envy what they don’t need
C. bees have the most complex eye
D. perfect vision is not perfect
Section 4. Read the following passage and do the tasks that follow. (15 points)
This passage contains 8 paragraphs. Match each paragraph with its suitable heading listed
below.
List of headings
i Scientists’ call for a revision of policy
ii An explanation for reduced water use
iii How a global challenge was met
iv Irrigation systems fall into disuse
v Environmental effects
vi The financial cost of recent technological improvements
vii The relevance to health
viii Addressing the concern over increasing populations
ix A surprising downward trend in demand for water
x The need to raise standards
xi A description of ancient water supplies
1. Paragraph A: ……………….
Paragraph B: iii
2. Paragraph C: …………..…..
3. Paragraph D: ………………
4. Paragraph E: ………………
5. Paragraph F: ……………….
6. Paragraph G: ……………….
7. Paragraph H: ……………….
MAKING EVERY DROP COUNT
A The history of human civilisation is entwined with the history of the ways we
have learned to manipulate water resources. As towns gradually expanded, water
was brought from increasingly remote sources, leading to sophisticated
engineering efforts such as dams and aqueducts. At the height of the Roman
Empire, nine major systems, with an innovative layout of pipes and well-built
sewers, supplied the occupants of Rome with as much water per person as is
provided in many parts of the industrial world today.
B During the industrial revolution and population explosion of the 19 th and 20th
centuries, the demand for water rose dramatically. Unprecedented construction of
tens of thousands of monumental engineering projects designed to control floods,
protect clean water supplies, and provide water for irrigation and hydropower
brought great benefits to hundreds of millions of people. Food production has kept
pace with soaring populations mainly because of the expansion of artificial
irrigation systems that make possible the growth of 40% of the world’s food.
Nearly one fifth of all the electricity generated worldwide is produced by turbines
spun by the power of falling water.
C Yet there is a dark side to this picture: despite our progress, half of the world’s
population still suffers, with water services inferior to those available to the
ancient Greeks and Romans. As the United Nations report on access to water
reiterated in November 2001, more than one billion people lack access to clean
drinking water; some two and a half billion do not have adequate sanitation
services. Preventable water-related diseases kill an estimated 10,000 to 20,000
children everyday, and the latest evidence suggests that we are falling behind in
efforts to solve these problems.
D The consequences of our water policies extend beyond jeopardising human health.
Tens of millions of people have been forced to move from their homes – often
with little warning or compensation – to make way for the reservoirs behind dams.
More than 20% of all freshwater have destroyed the free-flowing river ecosystems
where they thrive. Certain irrigation practices degrade soil quality and reduce
agricultural productivity. Groundwater aquifers are being pumped down faster
than they are naturally replenished in parts of India, China, the USA and
elsewhere. And disputes over shared water resources have led to violence and
continue to raise local, national and even international tensions.
E At the outset of the new milennium, however, the way resource planners think
about water is beginning to change. The focus is slowly shifting back to the
provison of basic human and environmental needs as top priority – ensuring
‘some for all’, instead of ‘more for some’. Some water experts are now
demanding that existing infrustructure be used in smarter ways rather than
building new facilities, which is increasingly considered the option of last, not
first, resort. This shift in philosophy established water organisations. Nevertheless,
it may be the only way to address successfully the pressing problems of providing
everyone with clean water to drink, adequate water to grow food and a life free
from preventable water-related illness.
F Fortunately – and unexpectedly – the demand for water is not rising as rapidly as
some predicted. As a result, the pressure to build new water infrastructures has
diminished over the past two decades. Although population, industrial output and
economic productivity have continued to soar in developed nations, the rate at
which people withdraw water from aquifers, rivers and lakes has slowed. And in a
few parts of the world, demand has actually fallen.
G What explains this remarkable turn of events? Two factors: people have figured
out how to use water more efficiently, and communities are rethinking their
priorities for water use. Throughout the first three-quarters of the 20 th century, the
quantity of freshwater consumed per person doubled on average; in the USA,
water withdrawals increased tenfold while the population quadrupled. But since
1980, the amount of water consumed per person has actually decreased, thanks to
a range of new technologies that help to conserve water in homes and industry. In
1965, for instance, Japan used approximately 13 million gallons of water to
produce $1 million of commercial output; by 1989 this had dropped to 3.5 million
gallons (even accounting for inflation) – almost a quadrupling of water
productivity. In the USA, water withdrawals have fallen by more than 20% form
their peak in 1980.
H On the other hand, dams, aqueducts and other kinds of infrastructure will still
have to be built, particularly in developing countries where basic human needs
have not been met. But such projects must be built to higher specifications and
with more accountability to local people and their environment than in the past.
And even in regions where new projects seem warranted, we must find ways to
meet demands with fewer resources, respecting ecological criteria and to a smaller
budget.
Do the following statements 8-10 agree with the information given in the passage?
In the numbered boxes, write:
YES If the statement agrees with the claims of the writer
NO If the statement contradicts the claims of the writer
NO If it is impossible to say that the writer thinks about this
INFORMATION
8. Feeding increasing populations is possible due primarily to improved irrigation systems.
9. Modern water systems imitate those of the ancient Greeks and Romans.
10. Industrial growth is increasing the overall demand for water.
PART D. WRITING
Section 1. Rewrite each sentence so that it begins with the words and the meaning stays the same.
(10 points)
1. Julia soon calmed down and explained her problem.
Julia soon pulled .................................................................................................
2. If you should get caught doing this. You will go to prison.
Were ……………..…………………………………………………………….
3. I didn’t realise how much he was influenced by his brother.
I didn’t realise the extent..……………………………………………………..
4. It was more of an argument than a discussion.
It was not so ………………………………………………………………….
5. It is hardly likely that he took poison.
He is ………………………………………………………………………….
Section 2. Rewrite each sentence so that it contains the word in brackets and the meaning stays
the same. (10 points)
1. However unfavorable our position is, we mustn’t surrender. (face)
……………………………………………………………………………………..
2. Stanley is rather fearful of the new teacher. (awe)
………………………………………………………………………………………..
3. The young policeman was completely unaware that he was in danger. (oblivious)
………………………………………………………………………………………..
4. Should anything happen to make you change your mind, let me know. (chance)
……………………………………………………………………………………..
5. I happen to know the manager of the firm. I can recommend you if you like. (word)
……………………………………………………………………………………..
____ THE END____