I.

LISTENING (50 points)

Part 1. For questions 1-5, listen to a podcast and decide whether the following statements are True (T),
False (F) or Not Given (NG) according to what you hear. Write your answers in the corresponding
numbered boxes provided.
1. The more time-consuming the shipping process is, the higher the amount of carbon footprint will be
produced.
2. Packagings made of paper are found to be more eco-friendly than those made of bubble wrap.
3. Different items being shipped at the same time will minimize the impacts of environmental pollution.
4. Local shopping facilitates the build-up of community networking.
5. Online retailers can effectively work out shipping routes if consumers opt for public transportation.
Part 2. For questions 6-10, listen to a part of a news report and answer the questions. Write NO
MORE THAN THREE WORDS taken from the recording for each answer.
6. What is predicted to have a connection with the capacity to rebuild DNA among mole rats?
________________________________________________________________
7. Besides old organisms, what can enzymes supplant?
________________________________________________________________
8. What is the species name of naked mole rats?
________________________________________________________________
9. What will humans turn into if we mimic Turritopsis‘s trick?
________________________________________________________________
10. Far from staying immortal, which three things a creature will be later on with longer life expectancy?
________________________________________________________________
Part 3. For questions 11-15, listen to a radio interview with a pastry chef, Robert Higgins and choose
the correct answer A,B, C or D which fits best according to what you hear. Write your answers in the
corresponding numbered boxes provided.
11. Robert explains that a pastry chef
A. is supposed to relish the business side. B. undertakes more work than expected.
C. possesses a diverse set of skills. D. recruits employees to assist with business.
12. The reason why Robert attend the culinary course was when
A. he was made redundant. B. to fulfill his long-lasting ambition.
C. his girlfriend recommended this course D. his culinary talent was unearthed.
13. Robert holds the opinion that being a perfectionist
A. is unable to touch the finished pastry. B. should always accept hatred from others.
C. means working nine to five. D. should be deemed necessary.
14. Which one is the first obstacle Robert experienced?
A. His fear of being left enervated. B. His fear of being injured.
C. His fear of working in a mundane kitchen. D. His fear of strict colleagues.
15. Robert gives the impression that
A. He is genuinely committed to his profession.
B. He is easy-going towards his staff.
C. Certain aspects in his profession are unpleasant for him.
D. Enormous stress can be generated from this job.
Part 4. For questions 16-25, listen to a talk about the U.S Supreme Court Nomination and complete
the following sentences. Write NO MORE THAN FOUR WORDS taken from the recording for each
blank.
While drawing attention to Barrett's Catholicism and (16) _____________________, Liberal Democrats
(17) _______________________regarding the legality of appointing a justice. Regarding police limitation,
Sullum has held notions that are in line with Ginsburg, although being offended as a conservative order and
(18) ___________________________.
Barrett considered lying in a (19) ___________________________ unreasonable.
The verdict was even reproached by Barrett as an (20) ________________________.
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Ginsburg's first critique of Roe V Wade was a lack of a (21) ________________________.
Inappropriate method and unequal protection were attributed to unnecessary federalization and lots of (22)
________________________
The sense that the Supreme Court had (23) ______________________________ of State
Legislators would not have existed had the Court spared time to handle Democratic process. Barrett will
endorse laws that make their way to the Supreme Court with various types of constraints, instead of (24)
________________________.
It is anticipated that Barrett will overshadow Ginsburg when it comes to issues that are mostly concerned by
(25) ________________________.
II. LEXICO – GRAMMAR (20 points)
Part 1. For questions 26-40, choose the correct answer A, B, C or D to each of the following questions.
26. The untimely death of Angeline's mother caused her a __________ pit of great sorrow.
A. everlasting B. immeasurable C. bottomless D. boundless
27. Peter was beset with challenges created from the disaster but he still managed to ____________ all
problems and carry on.
A. tower above B. rise above C. put above D. punch above
28. Suzy ____________ Jack a suspicious glance as his behaviors were fishy and bizzare.
A. dawdled B. darted C. dawned D. slogged
29. Though what she said appeared incredible, the whole class believed it ____________.
A. above the fray B. under orders
C. hook, line and sinker D. not by a long shot
30. The journalists kept throwing the mayor a __________ by digging deep into his private affairs.
A. spanner B. lifeline C. curveball D. knife-edge
31. Given both businessmen‘s antagonism towards each other before, their relationship becomes more
notoriously __________ and the negotiation is likely to collapse.
A. fractious B. fictitious C. factitious D. fastidious
32. That mysterious whispering sound in the middle of the night sent __________ down her spines.
A. stitches B. butterflies C. jitters D. shivers
33. Most American females were disgruntled and __________ against the newly-passed anti-abortion laws.
A. grumbled B. upbraided C. inveighed D. whinged
34. Given the Green project's wise investment and solid support gained from the public, it is anticipated that
this plan will __________.
A. bubble under B. bump up C. bunch up D. plow through
35. Far from sidestepping the issue, she should _________________ and seek alternative solutions.
A. jump out of her skin B. snap her head off
C. shake it to her foundations D. batten down the hatches
36. Considering that this is an opportune moment, she grabbed the __________ and managed to attract some
potential investors.
A. brass neck B. brass ring C. brass tack D. brass monkey
37. Having been informed of an armed robbery, the police came swiftly and ___________ the door.
A. jerked out B. hived off C. bashed down D. scraped out
38. Despite committing serial heinous crimes, he was declared ___________ insane and thus, was granted
acquittal.
A. criminally B. unprincipledly C. ethically D. underhandedly
39. That Tim curries favor the high-profile authorities clearly shows that he is a ___________.
A. plaintiff B. sycophant C. charlatan D. neophyte
40. The visitors ___________ slowly down the street and relished all historic sights.
A. lumbered B. cantered C. sauntered D. plodded
Part 2. For question 41-45, write the correct form of each bracketed word in each sentence in the
numbered space provided in the column in the right.
41. On being informed of the death of the King, she came _________________ (FOOT) from the palace
with the latest news.
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42. Although test results do not accurately reflect one's intelligence, they provide ____________________
(MARK) for their diligence and perseverance.
43. Students‘ progress is mostly made through _____________________ (DIDACTIC) learning style rather
than teacher-oriented approach.
44. Conducting an extensive research and seeking advice before investing help you prevent undesirable
___________________ (PIT)
45. It was a real ____________________ (RIB) that my mother mistook the taxi driver for her father.
III. READING (50 points)
Part 1. For questions 46-55, read the passage and fill each of the following numbered blanks with
ONE suitable word. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
It is difficult to imagine Ho Chi Minh city without its glittering towers of glass and steel (46)___________
large over the urban sprawl. Modernism spread worldwide, and would be the most important design (47)
___________ of the 20th century. Adherents to the style in Vietnam (48) ___________ their country‘s
traditional design into the modernist gospel, which eschewed ornament and (49) ___________ function over
form. It was also a pragmatic (50) ___________ to the tropical climate. To avert the sweltering
temperatures, Vietnamese modernists applied building techniques that kept structures cool and well-
ventilated. In a (51) _________ to squeeze people into smaller spaces and maximise profits, urban planners
in Ho Chi Minh city now seem content to run (52) ____________ over this history. The block at 151 Nam
Ky Khoi Nghia will probably be demolished. Its tenants were (53) ___________ and today it lies derelict.
The fate of other buildings also depends on developers‘ whims. Despite official neglect, there is renewed
interest in Vietnamese modernism. Local architects are drawing on the movement‘s features and sustainable
design to enhance contemporary projects. By salvaging modernist ideas to (54) ___________ up
contemporary buildings, architects in Vietnam are paying (55) ___________ homage to a rich architectural
legacy— and setting a standard for green building techniques.
Extracted from The Economist
Part 2. For questions 56-68, read the following passages and do the tasks that follow.
It was one of the biggest science stories of the 1990s. Even now, the facts behind it remain hotly
disputed. And small wonder, for if the claims made for the small disc, the focus of the controversy, are true,
it may be possible to break through one of the great barriers in the scientific world and control the most
potent of cosmic forces: gravity. Huge innovations in flight and space travel could arise from that.
The first gravity-blocking system to be taken seriously by scientists appeared in a laboratory in
Tampere University of Technology, Finland. A Russian scientist named Dr. Evgeny Podkletnov created a
disc 275mm across, made from a substance which combined copper, barium and the ‗rare Earth metal‘
called yttrium, which is known to be a high-temperature superconductor (a substance that conducts
electricity without resistance). When chilled with liquid nitrogen at -196° C (a high temperature compared
with other superconductors), this material loses all its electrical resistance and can levitate (lift) in a
magnetic field. That may seem amazing for a ceramic-like material – and it won a Nobel Prize for the
scientists Karl Muller and Johannes Bednorz, who first demonstrated it in the 1980s. But according to
Podkletnov, the disc had another far more astounding property.
In 1992, while experimenting with rotating superconductors, Podkletnov noticed that pipesmoke
from a nearby researcher was drifting into a vertical column above the spinning disc. Intrigued by this
phenomenon, he decided to devise an experiment to investigate further. A superconductive disc, surrounded
by liquid nitrogen, was magnetically levitated and rotated at high speed – up to 5,000 revolutions per minute
(rpm) in a magnetic field. An object was suspended from a sensitive balance above the disc. It was enclosed
in a glass tube to shield it from any effects of air currents. During the course of a series of tests, Podkletnov
was able to observe that the object lost a variable amount of weight from less than 0.5 percent to 2 percent of
its total weight. The effect was noted with a range of materials from ceramics to wood. The effect was slight,

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yet the implications were revolutionary: the disc appeared to be partly shielding the object from the
gravitational pull of the earth.
This was just the start, claimed Podkletnov. While far short of the 100 percent reduction in weight
needed to send astronauts into space, for example, it was infinitely greater than the amount predicted by the
best theory of gravity currently in existence. Einstein‘s theory of general relativity (GR), published in 1905.
According to Einstein, gravity is not some kind of ‗force field‘ like magnetism, which can – in principle at
least – be screened out. Instead, GR views gravity as a distortion in the very fabric of space and time that
permeates the whole cosmos. As such, any claim to have shielded objects from gravity is to defy Einstein
himself. Podkletnov‘s claims were subjected to intense scrutiny when he submitted them for publication.
The UK Institute of Physics had Podkletnov‘s paper checked by three independent referees, but none
could find a fatal flaw. His research was set to appear in the respected Journal of Physics
D when events took an unexpected turn. The claims were leaked to the media, sparking worldwide coverage
of his apparent breakthrough. Then Podkletnov suddenly withdrew the paper from publication and refused to
talk to the press.
Rumors began to circulate of unknown backers, demanding silence until the device had been fully
patented. But for many scientists, the strange events were all too familiar. Podkletnov was just the latest in a
long line of people to have made claims about defying gravity. Most of these have come from madcap
inventors, with bizarre devices, often with some kind of spinning disc. But occasionally respectable
academics have made such claims as well. One instance of this occurred in the late 198Os when scientists at
Tohoku University, Japan, made headlines with research suggesting that an apparatus known as the
gyroscope, lost 0.01 percent of its weight when spinning at up to 13,000 rpm. Oddly the effect only appeared
if the gyroscope was spinning anticlockwise – raising suspicions that some mechanical peculiarity was to
blame. Attempts by scientists at the University of Colorado to replicate the effect failed.
Then Professor Giovanni Modanese, an Italian theoretical physicist, became interested. He had read
an earlier paper by Podkletnov, hinting at a connection between superconductivity and gravity shielding.
Modenese wondered if the magnetic field surrounding the superconductive disc might somehow assimilate
part of the gravitational field under it. He published some calculations based on his idea in 1995 – and soon
discovered that taking ‗antigravity‘ seriously was a careerlimiting move. The revelations about Podkletnov‘s
antigravity research led to reports of major corporations setting up their own studies. In 2000, the UK
defense contractor BAE systems were said to have launched ―Project Greenglow‖ to investigate
Podkletnov‘s gravity shield effect. Then it emerged that the US aircraft builder Boeing was also
investigating, suggesting it too had an interest in the effect. Groups in other countries were also rumored to
be carrying out studies. Yet not one of the teams had reported confirmation of the original findings. Some
projects have been wound up without producing results either way. So for the time being, it seems that the
dream of controlling gravity will remain precisely that.
For questions 56-60, classify the following findings as belong to
A Podkletnov B Tohoku University C Modanese
Write the correct letter A, B or C in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
56. Gravity could be absorbed by a magnetic field.
57. Varying amounts of weight are lost as a result of the test
58. The experiment only comes off if the equipment moves in a particular direction.
59. Superconductive material seems to scan an object from gravity
60. Weight loss occurs when the equipment rotates at speeds reaching 13,000 rpm
For questions 61-65, decide whether the following statements are True (T), False (F), or Not Given (NG).
Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
61. Podkletnov won a prize for his initial work on superconductive substances.
62. Modenese suffered professionally after following up Podkletnov‘s findings.
63. Einstein challenged earlier experiments on antigravity.
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64. A chance observation led Podkletnov to experiment with gravity blocking.
65. An aircraft company announced that it had replicated Podkletnov‘s results.
For questions 66-68, fill in each blank with NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS taken from the passage.
Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
The experiment with superconductors engendered minimal effects yet profound impacts in which the object
is fended off from (66) _________________________. Gravity was deemed (67) __________________ in
the framework of time and space by Einstein's theory published years after the experiment. On being
tendered for publication, Podkletnov's finding had to undergo (68) ________________________ and it was
examined by several referees. However, no defect was detected.
Part 3. In the passage below, seven paragraphs have been removed. For questions 69-75, read the
passage and choose from paragraphs A-H the one which fits each gap. There is ONE extra paragraph
which you do not need to use. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
When Trump defied the international community and left the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, he had an
unlikely partner: the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT). The Belgian
SWIFT provides the payments-messaging services that are ―part of almost every international money
transfer.‖ So when SWIFT decided to ban certain Iranian banks from its services, it packed a major punch to
Tehran‘s economy. Today, privately-controlled financial nodes like SWIFT are regular partners of U.S.
foreign policy.
69.
SWIFT is one of the services that make up the international economy‘s plumbing. To make metals trading
easier, there is the London Metal Exchange (LME) that enables futures trading and licenses warehouses
worldwide. To ensure the tracking of securities, there are Clearstream and Euroclear. To make investing in
markets easier, there is the Emerging Market Bond Index which brings together securities across wide
swaths of countries. And the London Interbank Offering Rate (LIBOR) is calculated to ensure adjustable
interest rates that mirror market conditions.
70.
The SWIFT threat is one of the strongest weapons in the U.S. economic arsenal. Even major players like
Russia and China have come to fear a cut-off. But SWIFT is not alone. The LME magnified the effect of
U.S. sanctions against Russian aluminum producer Rusal by suspending the company from its exchanges.
Clearstream has blocked Iranian and Russian assets, and J.P. Morgan zeroed out Venezuela in its bond index,
restricting capital flows to the country.
71.
But U.S. foreign policy is changing. During his campaign, Vice President Biden has promised a
―foreign policy for the middle class‖ that combines economic and security goals, and that targets tax havens
and corruption as ―drivers of inequality.‖ This would mean taking on a world where 8% of global
household wealth hides in tax havens.
72.
The NGO Tax Justice Network has called for ―SWIFT statistics for all‖ to track financial flows and tax
evasion, and Georgetown Professor has argued SWIFT contains an ―an untapped utopian promise‖ of
―global monetary and financial regulation‖ due to the fact that all financial transactions need to flow
through it.
73.
The board of SWIFT is made up of representatives for the world‘s largest financial institutions, so it faced
two layers of threats: enforcement against the board-member banks and against the company itself. This
danger presented itself in 2018, when Iran hawks outlined the option of sanctioning member banks if
SWIFT did not ban the Iranian banks.
74.
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Prosecutors‘ nerves may fail before taking on major European jurisdictions, and U.S. policymakers may
choose transatlantic conciliation over more friction regarding tax enforcement. Plus, it will be harder to
count on the self-interest of the private sector: their financial interests will be far more at stake with tax
havens compared to Iran.
75.
British banking giant HSBC has frozen the account of a Hong Kong pro-democracy activist and has come
under fire, along with British bank Standard Chartered, for backing the region‘s controversial national
security law. These banks have acted even as U.S. sanctions forced financial services firms to cut ties with
pro-mainland Hong Kong government figures.
Missing paragraphs :
A. However, past cracks in U.S. cooperation with infrastructures suggest that leveraging these privately-
controlled choke points might not be so easy. First, these nodes did not help Washington out of altruism. It
took years of fines and enforcement by the United States to ensure cooperation. Clearstream paid $152
million in fines over allegations that it held $2.8 billion in securities for the Central Bank of Iran.
B. This may soon change. As Washington focuses more on transnational economic threats like
kleptocracy and tax evasion, infrastructure providers may consider their economic self-interest before
eagerly cooperating. Public-private partnerships are a shaky foundation for U.S. foreign policy, and the
United States should not let private actors control the plumbing of the international economy. Instead, it
should seek global cooperation to create a better system.
C. Furthermore, successful coercion by the U.S. might not ensure consistent cooperation from these
infrastructures. In the past, they have gone along with U.S. requests while also furthering other competing
agendas.
D. International financial infrastructures should be great partners in tackling these transnational
problems. What better way to monitor and check international flows of money between shady jurisdictions
than networks like SWIFT or ClearStream that make these flows possible?
E. These ―infrastructures‖ started as ways to make commerce easier, then became central to the
functioning of global finance, and now are key components of U.S. power.
F. These infrastructures enabled non-state actors to assert themselves over sovereign governments.
Bond servicing infrastructures enabled hedge funds to enforce their will over the government of Argentina.
G. While these infrastructures do further U.S. foreign policy, they further a limited vision of it: one
where Washington enforces norms and goals against specific countries.
H. Even more pressure will be necessary in the future. Faced with these legal costs and compliance
headaches, the infrastructures limited their risk by cutting off Iran. The countries that enable tax evasion,
though, are far more plugged into the global financial system. It will be harder for enforcement actions to
convince infrastructures to cut off or pressure these countries or banks.
Part 4. For questions 76-86, read the passage on and choose the answer A, B, C or which fits best
according to the text. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
In 1603, Queen Elizabeth I of England died. She had never married and had no heir, so the throne passed
to a distant relative: James Stuart, the son of Elizabeth‘s cousin and one-time rival for the throne, Mary,
Queen of Scots. James was crowned King James I of England. At the time, he was also King James VI of
Scotland, and the combination of roles would create a spirit of conflict that haunted the two nations for
generations to come.
The conflict developed as a result of rising tensions among the people within the nations, as well as
between them. Scholars in the 21st century are far too hasty in dismissing the role of religion in political
disputes, but religion undoubtedly played a role in the problems that faced England and
Scotland. By the time of James Stuart‘s succession to the English throne, the English people had firmly
embraced the teachings of Protestant theology. Similarly, the Scottish Lowlands was decisively Protestant.

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In the Scottish Highlands, however, the clans retained their Catholic faith. James acknowledged the Church
of England and still sanctioned the largely Protestant translation of the Bible that still bears his name.
James‘s son King Charles I proved himself to be less committed to the Protestant Church of England.
Charles married the Catholic Princess Henrietta Maria of France, and there were suspicions among the
English and the Lowland Scots that Charles was quietly a Catholic. Charles‘s own political troubles
extended beyond religion in this case, and he was beheaded in 1649. Eventually, his son King Charles II
would be crowned, and this Charles is believed to have converted secretly to the Catholic Church. Charles II
died without a legitimate heir, and his brother James ascended to the throne as King James II.
James was recognized to be a practicing Catholic, and his commitment to Catholicism would prove to be
his downfall. James‘s wife Mary Beatrice lost a number of children during their infancy, and when she
became pregnant again in 1687 the public became concerned. If James had a son, that son would
undoubtedly be raised a Catholic, and the English people would not stand for this. Mary gave birth to a son,
but the story quickly circulated that the royal child had died and the child named James‘s heir was a
foundling smuggled in. James, his wife, and his infant son were forced to flee; and James‘s Protestant
daughter Mary was crowned the queen.
In spite of a strong resemblance to the king, the young James was generally rejected among the
English and the Lowland Scots, who referred to him as ―the Pretender.‖ But in the Highlands the Catholic
princeling was welcomed. He inspired a group known as Jacobites, to reflect the Latin version of his name.
His own son Charles, known affectionately as Bonnie Prince Charlie, would eventually raise an army and
attempt to recapture what he believed to be his throne. The movement was soundly defeated at the Battle of
Culloden in 1746, and England and Scotland have remained Protestant ever since.
76. Which of the following sentences contains an opinion on the part of the author?
A. James was recognized to be a practicing Catholic, and his commitment to Catholicism would prove to be
his downfall.
B. James‘ son King Charles I proved himself to be less committed to the Protestant Church of England.
C. The movement was soundly defeated at the Battle of Culloden in 1746, and England and Scotland have
remained ostensibly Protestant ever since.
D. Scholars in the 21st century are far too hasty in dismissing the role of religion in political disputes, but
religion undoubtedly played a role in the problems that faced England and Scotland.
77. Which of the following is a logical conclusion based on the information that is provided within the
passage?
A. Like Elizabeth I, Charles II never married and thus never had children.
B. The English people were relieved each time that James II‘s wife Mary lost another child, as this
prevented the chance of a Catholic monarch.
C. Charles I‘s beheading had less to do with religion than with other political problems that England was
facing.
D. Unlike his son and grandsons, King James I had no Catholic leanings and was a faithful follower of the
Protestant Church of England.
78. Based on the information that is provided within the passage, which of the following can be inferred
about King James II‘s son?
A. Considering his resemblance to King James II, the young James was very likely the legitimate child of
the king and the queen.
B. Given the queen‘s previous inability to produce a healthy child, the English and the Lowland Scots were
right in suspecting the legitimacy of the prince.
C. James ―the Pretender‖ was not as popular among the Highland clans as his son Bonnie Prince Charlie.
D. James was unable to acquire the resources needed to build the army and plan the invasion that his son
succeeded in doing.
79. The word foundling in the passage is closest in meaning to
A. prince B. nephew C. illegitimate child D. orphan
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80. What can be inferred from paragraph two about the author‘s view of 21st century scholars?
A. 21st century scholars often disregard the role of religious views in historical political disputes.
B. 21st century scholars make hasty observations about historical political disputes.
C. 21st century scholars lack the details necessary to understand historical political disputes.
D. 21st century scholars think that religion is never used in political disputes.
81. What kind of tone does this passage have?
A. humorous B. informative C. solemn D. sarcastic
82. Which piece of information is least important to the purpose of the passage?
A. Queen Elizabeth I died in 1603
B. King James I had a bible translation commissioned
C. Bonnie Prince Charlie attempted to reclaim the throne
D. King Charles II was believed to have secretly converted to Catholicism
83. What was the end result of the conflict after the Battle of Culloden?
A. England and Scotland became Catholic as a result of the battle
B. James the Pretender and his wife had to flee for safety
C. This battle started conflict that would continue for generations
D. England and Scotland have remained Protestant
84. What was the result of King Charles I‘s political troubles?
A. He was beheaded B. He was exiled
C. He was hanged D. He was dethroned
85. Which of the following best describes what the passage is about?
A. The lineage of the current Queen of England
B. The history of religions in Scotland and in England
C. The role of religion had in conflict between England and Scotland
D. The history and origin of the Jacobites
Part 5. The passage below consists of 4 paragraphs marked A, B, C and D. For questions 8695, read
the passage and do the task that follows. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes
provided.
A. Jim Cartwright's play was first staged by Simon Curtis in 1986 as a promenade production that took
the audience on a nocturnal journey through the cobbled streets of an imagined Lancashire town. Even if
John Tiffany's revival doesn't make the same visceral impact, it does rich justice to a play that pins down the
raucous despair and ebullient hopelessness of a community scarred by unemployment, where people do their
best to live for the moment.
Under the guidance of the thieving Scullery (Lemn Sissay) we watch the road's youngsters scratching a few
quid together to go out for a night of booze and sex. But much of the play's power rests on a series of bleak
vignettes, now staged, in Chloe Lamford's design, in a glass box rising from the ground like a strip-lit prison.
The most painful shows the bed-bound Joey and Clare, who says that "every day's like swimming in ache",
starving themselves to death in an unromantic suicide pact. We also get a poignant glimpse of the married
Valerie, who is full of exasperated sympathy for a jobless husband who spends the weekly giro on drink but
roams about the house like a bewildered animal.
B. This is the second time in a week I've seen an Irish writer create a remarkable fusion of text and
music. Woyzeck in Winter at the Galway arts festival unites Büchner and Schubert. Now Conor McPherson
has written and directed a play incorporating 20 diverse songs by Bob Dylan. Set in Dylan's home town of
Duluth, Minnesota, in 1934, the piece uses the songs to reinforce the mood of desperation and yearning that
characterized America in the Depression cra.
It was the Dylan team who approached McPherson with the idea and they knew what they were doing since
his work, from The Weir onwards, has been marked by a sense of unfulfilled longing. Here, that is located in
a run-down guesthouse where everyone is staring into a bleak future. Nick, the owner, has to deal with
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crushing debt, a wife with dementia, a layabout son, and he is trying to marry off an adopted, pregnant,
black daughter to an elderly shoe salesman. His guests include a ruined family, a fugitive boxer, a
blackmailing preacher-cum-Bible salesman and Nick's lover, who is awaiting a legacy that fails to mature.
Yet for all their failures they still manage, gloriously, to sing.
C. At the beginning of the lakeside scene in the Marinsky Ballet's production of Swan Lake, tiny
mechanical swans stagger jerkily across a painted backdrop. But the second these stage toys are replaced by
graceful ballerinas, kitsch is superseded by something close to holiness.
It's a moment of magic that might serve as a metaphor for a production that is a compelling mixture of the
old-fashioned and the divine. The original choreography by Petipa and Ivanov was revised in 1950. It has a
happy ending that involves the onstage destruction of the evil Rothbart's costume, leaving him without a
sleeve and writhing on the floor while the bewitched Odette and her handsome Prince Siegfried stand
triumphant. Mime has been pared back. The Queen Mother looks like a Disney princess in a pointy wimple.
D. Surprisingly, given its multiple manifestations, chis is the first time Sue Townsend's 1982 bestseller
has been turned into a full-scale musical. In extracting a narrative from the book, it inevitably sacrifices
some of the deliciously Pooterish detail of its boy-diarist but it is a fresh and funny show from the young
songwriting team of Jake Brunger (book and lyrics) and Pippa Cleary (music and lyrics). They clearly have
the potential to inject new life into the anaemic British musical.
The pair have carefully preserved the period of the original: this is the world of Mrs Thatcher, the Charles
and Di wedding, Dallas and jokes about spelling mistakes in the Guardian. It is also a time of growing
female assertiveness, with both Adrian's mum and his girlfriend Pandora putting the principles of The
Female Eunuch into practice. I couldn't quite believe that Adrian, in the early 80s, would have used a phrase
like "it objectifies women" to spurn a saucy pin-up magazine, but otherwise the show effortlessly recreates a
vanished era.
In which section are the following suggested? Your answers
The play features a social movement through its characters and wordings 86.
The play incorporates moves that date back to a long time ago 87.
An element of technology is introduced to the play 88.
An entertaining feature is utilized to convey social issues 89.
The play intentionally leaves out some information existed in its original form 90.
The play does somewhat live up to expectations compared to its predecessor 91.
The combination is believed to revitalize a particular genre 92.
Clothing of the character plays a role it the plot of the play 93.
The play derives it power from a sense of gloominess in the lives of people 94.
The writer makes reference to another play with kindred features 95.
IV. WRITING (60 points)
Write an essay of 350 words on the following topic.
Many people believe that a self-educated approach must be developed at school in the age of technology,
while many people believe that teachers‘ pedagogical skills still hold importance. Discuss both views and
give your opinion
______ THE END ______

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