Part 6 You are going to read a newspaper article about research on the effect of light on students. Six Sentences have been removed from the article. Choose from the sentences Ava the one which fits each gap (87-42). There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use, Mark your answers on the separate answer sheet. Lighting up the winter darkness In northern Scandinavia the long dark winters can be difficult. The students in Dragonskolan, a secondary School in Umea, in Sweden's far north, are taking Part in an experiment to see whether using intense electric light, known as ‘full-spectrum’ light, can help with this problem. This light is much brighter (han the lighting currently used in most schools and homes. This experiment is also part of a bigger debate about using full-spectrum light in schools to relieve tiredness and lack of energy. These symptoms can develop when sleep patterns are disturbed by the very long nights Jt is not unusual, for example, for some students to fall asleep on the journey to school. But last month Dragonskolan school installed 140 full-spectrum lamps in several classrooms. Now, stepping through the door in the morning is like walking into bright sunshine. Students even find themselves glancing out of the window, surprised to see that the sun hasn't come up yet. [ 38 J The schools the frst to use this simple technique to try to Improve students’ performance. Light tells the brain to halt production of ‘melatonin — the hormone that makes you sleepy. ["39_|] Researcher Dr Mariana Figueito believes that, during the wintey the effects of the lack of light can slowly build up and make your ‘body clock’ confused, Exposure to light of the correct wavelength and intensity helps the body to know when to switch olf in the evening. So you sleep more and feel better the next morning, 16 [40 When asleep researcher at Stockholm told a conference of head teachers about the benefits of insialling full-spectrum lights, they objected, saying that pupils would become restless and be unable to concentrate on their work. Money was also a concern for them because some schools didn’t have the budget for these lights, But those like Figueiro, who are arguing for change, Point to other evidence to support their case. 41 Designers may have ignored the significance of this, as giving any consideration to light in their designs seems to have become too low a priority. For all these reasons, it's not surprising that only a few head teachers have experimented with the lighting in their schools. At Dragonskolan, head teacher Stellan Andersson initially understood this reluctance. After all, some studies suggested that although people claimed the brighter lights were having a positive effect on them, there was no measurable evidence to support this. Equally though, there was no evidence that they actually caused any harm. So Andersson decided to go ahead with installing them hoping for better academic performance. But, whether this happens or not, the students are certainly enjoying the bright new teaching environment,Reading and Use of English Without that stimulus, the body delays, by a few minutes every day, the signal that it’s time to wake up. What's more, it seems that sitting in a brightly lit room could heip people cope with this. In fact, there's a much more positive atmosphere there these days. Light was once a vital consideration in the planning of school buildings, with books written as far back as the late 19th century focusing on the importance of daylight in the classroom. Many in this part of the country freely admit how difficult it is to get ready for the day ahead, several hours before the ‘sun comes up. However, despite the apparent simplicity of the theory, little research has been done on the effects of light in schools, so not all of them are keen to change their lighting systems. Therefore, it seemed on the face of it that there was nothing to lose.Fett Part 7 You are going to read five reviews of songs by teenage boy bands. For questions 43-2, choose from the reviews (A-E). The reviews may be chosen more than once. Mark your answers on the separate answer sheet. Which review mentions that the song was the best the band released? 43 says the song’s lyrics are surprisingly effective when performed? 44 says some instruments cannot be clearly heard? 45 says the song has wide appeal despite its style? 46 suggests the track deserved to have been appreciated more? 47 says that the track has not lost any of its originality? 48 mentions an opportunity for everyone in the band to display their singing ability? Mentions the influence someone outside the band had on its music? 50 says that the song is easy to relate to? 51 admires a voice that is not what it seems? 52 18Reading and Use of English Reviews of songs by teenage boy bands (Are A significant problem faced by boy bands is the narrow musical range expected of them. On the one hand, there's pop-rock, on the other, a dull version of rhythm and blues. Anything that differs from those styles sounds wildly creative, which may explain the phenomenal success of The Wart's hit song Fran in the music charts. The keyboard plays a central role on this track, giving ita sad fecl. The lyrics are cleverly written, with each songline starting with the last word of the previous line, This is more impressive than you might think just reading about it, because each band member takes a line in turn. It's a showcase for The Warts’ excellent voices, and lead singer Mike Royce is outstanding, a) Loud specialised in disco music until three years ago, when a new producer was brought in who gave them a completely different sound. This has resulted in a string of recent hits although their latest song, Hard Shelt, is heavy with electronic synthesizers, string instruments and horns. Ned Laing leads on vocals, guitarist Grant Berry manages a creditable solo, and the band’s rhythm section is faultless. But at just two-and- ahalf minutes long, it’s over before you know it. And sadly, the song lacks the memorable lyrics of their earlier successes. In the end, it seems to have proved too polished for their younger fans, and too lightweight for the older ones. It hasn't been a hit, though many in the industry feel it should have been. ¢c Though Dealt got together to compete with other popular boy bands, their first single, What / Lost, had few of the elements that defined boy band music at the time: none of the sophisticated disco beats that might have been expected. Instead, it's understated rhythm and blues witha trace of folk, and accented by that least cool of instruments, the accordion. It was a fantastic debut; four years later, it's still unique, as different from the usual boy-band style as accordions are from electronic synthesisers, though both were used on the song. And although the subject matter, romance, is familiar, there's a clever twist: What I Lost is set in a courtroom. It was a track that was hard to improve on, and they never did. i) : Boy band The Bowls’ hit song No Grace features Len Blane’s gentle lead vocals and flowing harmonies from some of the other band members. Say what you like about Blane, but there’s no doubt that he has a gift for writing poetic love songs and arranging them to music. No Grace, which he claims to have written in an afternoon, is one of his finest songs, It's become a classic guilty pleasure for many people who wouldn't normally admit to liking a soft-pop love song - but why feel guilty? There's something touching about the lyrics and they deal with themes that everyone will have experienced at some time in their lives. Released while Slog were at their short-lived peak, their hit song Floss is a splendid example of attitude plus technology. It opens with a drum solo, which gives way to three minutes of keyboard craziness that sounds like something a far more experimental band might have come up with. The three Slog members play conventional guitars and drums, but it’s virtually impossible to detect them over the unusual electronic sounds of the backing track. Then there's lead singer Mo Aramba’s remarkable vocals ~ more those of a thirty-year-old, than of a boy of seventeen, Floss is a marvellous track, and an inspiration for boy bands everywhere. 19