FORECAST IELTS

READING QUÝ III

NĂM 2024 (QUYỂN 6)
Họ và tên: Nguyễn Hà Linh – IE 25
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.

The Origin of Paper

The word paper derives from the Greek term for the ancient Egyptian writing material called
papyrus. In about 2400 BC, the Egyptians discovered how to make a writing surface out of
papyrus, a type of reed that grows along waterways in southern Europe and North Africa. The
Egyptians cut the plant into strips which they softened in water. Papyrus was cross-woven
into a mat and then pounded into a hard thin sheet.
As the papyrus plant requires subtropical conditions to grow, papyrus was not much used in
Europe at that time; instead, the main material used for writing was parchment. This was
made from animal skin and was extremely expensive. In fact, it has been estimated that a
single book written on parchment required the skins of 300 sheep. The skins had to be
specifically prepared by drying them and they were then stretched on a special frame. It is not
known when parchment was first introduced, but it was the main writing material in Europe
for hundreds of years.
Paper, which is made from pulp, rags, and fibers of plants, seems to have been invented in
China and is considered to be one of the Four Great Inventions of Ancient China. In 105 AD,
under the Han Dynasty emperor Ho-Ti, a government official in China named Ts’ai Lun was
the first to start a papermaking industry. Ts’ai Lun seems to have made his paper by mixing
finely chopped mulberry bark and hemp rags with water, mashing the mixture flat with a
stone mortar, and then pressing out the water and letting it dry in the sun. He may have based
his idea on bark cloth, which was very common in China and also made from mulberry.
Previously, during the Shang (1600-1050 BC) and Zhou (1050-256 BC) dynasties of Ancient
China, documents were ordinarily written on bone or bamboo (on tablets or on bamboo strips
sewn and rolled together into scrolls), making them very heavy and awkward to transport. The
light material of silk was sometimes used, but was normally too expensive to consider. When
it was first invented, paper was used for purposes of wrapping or padding protection for
delicate bronze mirrors. Although paper used for writing became popular by the 3rd century
AD, it continued to be used for wrapping and other purposes.
During the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) paper was folded and sewn into square bags to
preserve the flavor of tea. During the same period, according to a written account, tea was
served from baskets with multi-colored paper cups and paper napkins of different sizes and
shapes. During the Chinese Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD) not only did the government
produce the world’s first known printed paper money, or banknote, but paper money
bestowed as gifts was wrapped in special paper envelopes.
Paper spread slowly outside of China; other Asian cultures, even after seeing paper, could not
make it themselves. Instruction in the manufacturing process was required, and the Chinese
were reluctant to share their secrets. It made its true push westward in 751 AD when the Tang
Dynasty was at war with the Islamic world. During a battle on the banks of the Tarus river, a
Chinese caravan was captured which happened to include several papermakers. They were
taken away to Samarkand, which was a good place to make paper because it had an abundant
supply of hemp and flax. Samarkanders changed the technology of manufacturing paper.
They began to prepare it in stone mills and Samarkand became an important papermaking
center.
The rudimentary and laborious process of papermaking was refined and bulk manufacturing
of paper began in Iran, where they invented a method to make a thicker sheet of paper, which
helped transform papermaking from an art into an important business.
Gradually papermakers made their way further west through the Arab world – to Baghdad,
Damascus and Cairo. Finally, when the Moors from North Africa invaded Spain and Portugal
they brought the technology with them and so it was that papermaking entered Europe in the
12th century.
In Europe, the preferred medium for the artists and literati of the time was still the smooth and
lustrous parchment. The notion of paper being used as a practical everyday item did not occur
until the 15th century when Johannes Gutenberg perfected movable type printing, which
included the use of metal molds and alloys, a special press, and oil-based inks, allowing the
mass production of printed books. The birth of the modern paper and printing industry is
commonly marked from this date.
Printing technology rapidly developed and created an ever-increasing demand for paper. The
early European papers were made from recycled cotton and linen – and a huge trade quickly
developed around the trading of old rags. It is said that the disease known as ‘the Black
Death’ entered England from Europe on these old rags. Yet soon this source became
insufficient and some curious attempts were made to find new materials. Experiments with
fibers such as straw, cabbage, wasp nests and finally wood, resulted in inexpensive – and
replaceable – materials for papermaking. Today, the long soft fibers of softwoods such as
spruce have become the most suitable source of pulp for the mass production of paper.
Questions 1 – 7
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?
In boxes 1-7 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 In Ancient China, writing was occasionally done on silk.
2 Coloured paper was invented during the Tang Dynasty.
3 Papermakers from Samarkand were captured by the Chinese.
4 Papermaking as a large-scale industry originated in Iran.
5 Papermaking skills were brought to Europe via North Africa.
6 When Gutenberg invented movable type, paper materials were very expensive.
7 The end of the trade in rags was brought about by the difficulty of transporting them.
Questions 8 – 13
Complete the table below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 8-13 on your answer sheet.
The development of paper

Place Date of introduction Materials used Method of

production
Egypt about 2400 BC a plant called papyrus 8 ..................... of the
plant were softened in
water, woven and
pounded
Europe unknown parchment made from skin was dried and 10
the skin of animals such ……………
as 9 ……………
China 105 AD 11 ..................... of a ingredients were
mulberry tree and hemp mixed with water,
rags pressed and put
outside in the sun
12 751 AD flax and hemp mills made of 13
…………… …………… were
used
The Origin of Paper

1 TRUE
2 NOT GIVEN
3 FALSE
4 TRUE
5 TRUE
6 NOT GIVEN
7 FALSE
8 Strips
9 Sheep
10 Stretched
11 Bark
12 Samarkand
Stone
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
Ideal Homes
New ideas and some old ones
A The traditional kampung houses of Malaysia do not need air-conditioning. Built on stilts and with steep
roofs, they have year-round ventilation. The raised structure ensures a cooling breeze comes up through
the floorboards, while the high roof acts as a chimney to release hot air. The airtight, concrete boxes of
modem city construction, in contrast, are heat traps, says Muhammad Peter Davis of Universiti Putra
Malaysia. He has calculated that typical modern Malaysian houses are 5°C hotter than the air outside. The
builders of kampung houses ‘had no knowledge of modem science or engineering but they came up with
the perfect design,’ says Davis.
B This story of ancient architectural sophistication and modem insanity is repeated around the world. In
the name of modernism, people have thrown away architecture designed to cope with the environment in
which they live, and adopted house designs originating from cold, northern environments, where the idea
is to keep heat in.
C Once, the aim of architectural modernists was to build structures that kept nature out and to replace it
with au-conditioning. Now they are learning that they cannot do that effectively. Slowly, they are seeing
the benefit of working with nature, rather than against it. In California, they probably use more power for
air-conditioning than anywhere else on Earth. According to Arthur Rosenfeld from the University of
California, what California needs is white paint. If Los Angeles painted its roofs white, planted trees to
shade buildings, and chose lighter-coloured paving, it could reduce city temperatures by 3 °C and cut the
annual air- conditioning bill by SUS 170 million a year.
D Modern buildings are greedy in their use of energy. Much is made of the contribution of transportation
to global warming, through its emissions of greenhouse gases. But, globally, transportation is responsible
for just 22 per cent of carbon dioxide emissions. The building sector is responsible for 31 per cent, mostly
the result of heating and air- conditioning systems. In developing countries, where demand for electricity
for buildings is rising by 5 per cent a year, the biggest demand is for air-conditioning in modem buildings
which are often designed to cope with every different climatic condition.
E Before air-conditioning, much of the Arab world kept cool through thoughtful, building design. Many
buildings were built according to the principles of the wind tower, a tall structure with vertical vents at the
top that open in all directions to catch any passing breeze. Typically, these wind-tower buildings were
made of local materials such as stone, mud brick, wood and palm-tree fronds. The buildings were inward-
looking, which served the dual function of focusing attention on the courtyard, where family members
spend time together, and protecting living areas from the rays of the sun.
F Throughout the Middle East today, wind lowers are often little more than museum pieces. But there are
exceptions, Jordan has won awards for the architecture of a village on the shores of the Red Sea, which is
designed to conserve energy. Made of rough, local stone in a traditional style, it combines the ventilation
system of the wind towers for summer coolness with up-to-date heating and floor insulation to protect
against the desert cold in winter.
G Traditional building materials, like traditional building designs, are being rediscovered by those
looking for low-energy solutions to the current construction needs. Clay is one such material. As the
Dutch housing contractor R van der Ley has argued in promoting a series of clay housing ill-ejects m
developing countries, clay has many benefits over its industrialised version, brick. Clay blocks cost only
half as much as ordinary bricks. Clay also generates work because people can find 1, mould it, bake it and
work it themselves. ‘Two hundred clay bricks can be made with the fuel oil that makes just one ordinary
brick. Moreover, clay is an excellent insulator against both cold and heat outside, and can easily be
recycled.
H But although traditional methods and materials can be revived in appropriate settings, new green, low-
energy technologies are needed, especially in urban environments. The thermal insulation of homes in
cold countries is an example. In 1983, Sweden adopted a national standard, requiring the country’s homes
to lose no more than 60 kilowatt-hours per square metre over the year. To meet that standard, windows
were double-glazed, and walls and roofs insulated. Every home became a fortress against the cold air
outside. Unfortunately, the rest of Europe has not followed the lead.
I In the United States. Amory Loving has promoted a range of low-energy technologies: ‘super-
windows’, for example, which let in invisible light but can be ‘tuned’ to either allow in, or reflect away,
infrared solar radiation - the stuff that heals. Buildings with large expanses of window (and big energy
bills) can be designed to achieve optimum temperatures.
J As well as more efficient use of energy, the world also needs new sources of renewable power. Solar
energy is being mod out in the developing world, in villages often far from electricity grids. The world’s
biggest solar power installation got underway in the Philippines, in 2001, where a project commenced to
install solar panels for 400,000 people in 150 villages. Such projects are demonstrating that countries,
whether developing or developed, no longer need huge national grids to supply electricity. Every home
can do its own thing with the help of a solar panel and a storage battery.
K Houses, of course, are more than machines for living in. They are social and psychological spaces, too.
Future houses may not look exactly like kampungs or wind towers or any other traditional models. But to
work for US and for our environment, they will have to suit us as well as these traditional forms did.
Questions 14-19
Reading Passage 2 has eleven paragraphs, A-K.
Which paragraph contains the following information?
Write the correct letter, A-K, in boxes 14-18 on your answer sheet.
14 reasons why a particular construction material is advantageous
15 an example of a construction design which benefits domestic interaction
16 a description of a house that Is ventilated from below
17 an example of self-sufficient energy supply
18 suggested methods of reducing temperatures in a city
Questions 19-22
Look at the following people (Questions 19-22) and theist of ideas below. Match each person with the
correct idea, A-G.
Write the correct letter, A-G, in boxes 19-22 on your answer sheet.
19. Muhamad Peter Davis
20. Authur Rosenfeld
21 R van der Ley
22 Amony Lovins

List of Ideas
A. The choice of a certain construction material can have a socio-economic impact.
B. Throughout the world, people are rejecting traditional housing design in order to appear modem.
C. Houses should not only meet people’s physical needs but also their social and psychological
needs.
D. Traditional knowledge can be superior to modem knowledge.
E. There is an innovation that can save costs on both air-conditioning and heating.
F. Solar energy can meet the energy needs of people living in villages in developing countries.
G. There is a very simple solution that can save on the cost of air-conditioning.
Questions 23 - 26
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 2? In boxes 23-26 on
your answer sheet, write
TRUE if the statement agree with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
23 The air temperature in modem Malaysian houses is lower than the air temperature outside.
24 The construction industry is more to blame than transport for global warning.
25 The use of wind towers for cooling is widespread in the Middle East today.
26 The ‘super-windows’ promoted by Amory Lovins can to installed at ow cost.
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 Analysis of Fear

Researchers are investigating the processes in the brain that give rise to
fear in animals. The results may lead to new ways to treat human anxiety
Over the years, the majority of people acquire a range of skills for coping with frightening
situations. They will attempt to placate a vexed teacher or boss and will shout and run when
chased by a hostile stranger. But some individuals become overwhelmed in circumstances
others would consider only minimally stressful: fear of ridicule might cause them to shake
uncontrollably when called on to speak in a group, or terror of strangers might lead them to
hide at home, unable to work or shop for groceries. Why do certain people fall prey to
excessive fear?
Ned H. Kahn and Steven E. Shelton at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are addressing
this problem by identifying specific brain processes that regulate fear and its associated
behaviors. Despite the availability of non-invasive computer imaging techniques, such
information is still extremely difficult to obtain it humans. Hence, they have turned their
attention to another primate, the rhesus monkey. These animals undergo many of the same
physiological and psychological developmental stages that humans do, but in a more
compressed time span. As we gain more insight into the nature and operation of neural
circuits that modulate fear in monkeys, it should be possible to pinpoint the brain processes
that cause inordinate anxiety in people, and to devise new therapies to counteract it. Effective
interventions would be particularly valuable if they were applied at an early age, as growing
evidence suggests overly fearful youngsters are at high risk of later emotional distress.
When they began their studies two decades ago, Kahn and Shelton knew that they would first
have to find cues that elicit fear and identify behaviors that reflect different types of anxiety.
With such information in hand, they could then proceed to determine the age at which
monkeys begin to match defensive behaviors selectively to specific cues. Finally, by
determining the parts of the brain that reach maturity during the same time span, they could
gain clues to the regions that underlie the regulation of fear and fear-related behavior.
The experiments were carried out at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Kalin and Shelton
discerned varied behaviors by exposing monkeys between six and 12 months old to three
related situations. In the alone condition, an animal was separated from its mother and left by
itself in a cage for ten minutes. In the no-eye-contact condition, a person stood motionless
outside the cage and avoided looking at the solitary infant. In the stare condition, a person
was again present and motionless but, assuming a neutral expression, peered directly at the
animal. These positions are no more frightening than those that primates encounter frequently
in the wild, or those that human infants encounter every time they are left at a day-care
center.
In the alone condition, most monkeys became very active and emitted frequent gentle ‘coo’
calls made with pursed lips. More than 40 years ago it was deduced that when an infant
monkey is separated from its mother, it yearns to regain the closeness and security provided
by nearness to the parent These responses help to draw the mother’s attention. In contrast, in
the more frightening no-eye-contact situation, the monkeys reduced their activity greatly and
sometimes froze for extended periods of time. When an infant spots a potential predator, its
goal shifts from attracting the mother to becoming inconspicuous. Inhibiting motion and
freezing are common attempts to achieve this in many species. If the infant perceives that it
has been detected, its aim shifts to warding off an attack. So the stare condition evoked a
third set of responses. The monkeys made several hostile gestures: barking (forcing air from
the abdomen through the vocal cords to emit a harsh, growl-like sound) and staring back.
Sometimes the animals mixed the threatening displays with submissive ones, such as fear
grimaces, which look something like wary grins, or grinding of teeth.
Having identified three categories of defensive behaviors, Kalin and Shelton set about
determining when infant monkeys first begin to apply them effectively. Several lines of work
had led them to surmise that the ability to make such choices emerges when an infant is
around two months old. To establish the critical period of development, they examined four
groups of infant monkeys ranging in age up to 12 weeks old. The babies were separated from
their mothers, left to acclimatize to a cage, and then exposed to the alone, no-eye-contact and
stare conditions. All sessions were videotaped for analysis. They found that the infants in the
youngest group (no more than two weeks old) engaged in defensive behaviors. But they
lacked some motor control and seemed to act randomly, as if they had not noticed the human
beings that were present. Babies in the two intermediate-age groups had good motor control,
but their actions seemed unrelated to the test condition. Only animals in the oldest group
(nine- to 12-week olds) conducted themselves differently in each situation, and their reactions
were both appropriate and identical to those of mature monkeys. This finding meant motor
control was not the prime determinant of selective responding and that nine to 12 weeks is the
critical age for the appearance of a monkeys ability to adaptively modulate its defensive
activity to meet changing demands.
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 In the first paragraph, the writer points out that
A fear and stress are different feelings.
B most humans develop strategies for dealing with fear.
C business situations cause more fear than others.
D some people never experience fear.
28 When discussing the use of rhesus monkeys as experimental subjects, the writer
notes that
A they react more quickly to fear than humans.
B they are more influenced by fear than humans
C their mental growth resembles that of humans.
D their brains work more slowly than those of humans.
29 Which of the following did Kalin and Shelton outline as the second stage in their
research project?
A the identification of expressions of anxiety in monkeys
B the identification of situations that arouse stress in monkeys
C an analysis of brain development in monkeys
D the study of reactions to fear in monkeys of different ages
30 In the fourth paragraph, the writer notes that the ‘three related situations’
A reflect common experiences for infant humans and monkeys.
B highlight the similarities between monkey and human infant care.
C were predicted to cause monkeys more distress than human infants.
D were graded in terms of their potential effect on young monkeys.
Questions 31 – 35
Look at the following responses of monkeys (Questions 31-35) and the list of
conditions below.
Match each response with the correct condition, A, B or C.
Write the correct letter, A, B or C, in boxes 31-35 on your answer sheet.
NB You may use any letter more than once.
31 aggressive facial expressions
32 prolonged stillness
33 a combination of contradictory signals
34 appeals for maternal protection
35 the production of soft sounds

List of Conditions

A the alone condition

B the no-eye-contact condition
C the stare condition

Questions 36 – 40
Complete the summary below.
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage
for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 36-40 on your answer sheet.
Once they had identified three types of defensive behaviour, Kalin and Shelton grouped
the monkeys according to their 36 ................ , in order to discover precisely when they
were
able to respond appropriately to different fear-related cues. They videotaped their results
and found that monkeys as young as 37 ................reacted to the cues but in a haphazard
fashion. The researchers noted that they seemed to be unaware of the 38........................ who
were around them. Despite demonstrating 39 ......................... , the monkeys in the middle
groups failed to react in ways corresponding to the experimental situation. The oldest
group, however, reacted in the same way as 40 .............. and the researchers concluded that
monkeys are capable of selective responding between nine and 12 weeks old.
 The Analysis of Fear
27 B
28 C
29 C
30 A
31 C
32 B
33 C
34 A
35 A
36 Age
37 Two weeks old 38 Human beings
39 Good motor control 40 Mature monkeys
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.

1. FALSE
2. TRUE

3. NOT GIVEN

4. TRUE

5. NOT GIVEN

6. FALSE

7. Waterproof cloth

8. Waste strips

9. Rigid

10. Stabilise

11. Steam engines

12. Pneumatic tyre

13. Mass production

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 ........................................
Sorry-who are you When people are deaf to music
1. FALSE 27. D
2. NOT GIVEN 28. B
3. NOT GIVEN 29. A
4. TRUE 30. C
5. FALSE 31. B
6. TRUE 32. NO
7. TRUE 33. NOT GIVEN
8. faces 34. YES
9. emotion 35. NOT GIVEN
10. gene 36. E
11. left 37. C
12. laboratory 38. D
13. cheating 39. G
40. B

Creativeproblem-solving
14. B —

15. D
16. F
17. B
18. C
19. E
20. B
21. D
22. C
23. A
24. positive
25. voice
26. distraction
 The Accidental Scientist
The role of chance in scientific discovery
A A paradox lies within the heart of scientific discovery. If you know just what you are
looking for, finding it can hardly count as a discovery, since it was fully anticipated.
But if, on the other hand, you have no notion of what you are looking for, you cannot know when
you have found it, and discovery, as such, is out of the question. In the philosophy of science,
these two extremes are known as deductivism and inductivism.
In the former, the outcome is supposed to be logically contained in the premises you start with;
in the latter you are recommended to start with no expectations and see what turns up.
B As in so many things, the ideal position resides somewhere between these two extremes.
You want to have a good enough idea of what you are looking for to be surprised when you find
something else of value, and you want to be ignorant enough of your aim to entertain alternative
outcomes. Scientific discovery should, therefore, have an accidental aspect, but not too much of
one. 'Serendipity' is a word that expresses a position something like that. It is such a fascinating
word that the late Robert King Merton - the father of the sociology of science - liked it enough to
write a book about it, assisted by the French cultural historian Elinor Barber. Merton and
Barber's book was finished in 1958, but did not appear for many years, perhaps because, in the
intervening period, American academic sociology was taking a radically different direction from
that represented in the book. It tended to be more rationalistic and less willing to attend to voices
speaking of unanticipated consequences, complexities, and indeed, serendipity
C The word 'serendipity, meaning a discovery made in the course of looking for something
quite different, was first used by the English writer Horace Walpole in 1754.
He explained that he took it from a book called The Three Princes of Serendip, a fairy tale, in
which the princes were always making discoveries of things they were not actually looking for.
'Serendip' was an old name for the island of Sri Lanka (formerly known as Ceylon).
D The word 'serendipity was next used by antiquarians in the early 19th century, and in the
following century came into common use among scientists. Many of the latter, including
Harvard physiologist Walter Cannon (1871-1945) and British immunologist Peter Medawar
(1915-1987), liked to emphasise how much of scientific discovery was unplanned, and even
accidental. One example was the discovery by Hans Christian Orsted (1777-1851) of
electromagnetism, when he unintentionally brought a wire carrying an electric current parallel to
a magnetic needle; such instances led Medawar to insist, 'There is no such thing as the Scientific
Method' - no way of systematising the process of discovery. Important discoveries seemed to
appear when no-one was looking for them.
E Yet what Cannon and Medawar believed, other scientists found infuriating, perhaps
because they misinterpreted the original concept. If scientific discovery were accidental, then
what was the special basis of expert authority? In this connection, they were opposed by no less
an authority than Louis Pasteur: 'Chance favours the prepared mind, he stated. Accidents may
happen, and things may turn up as one is looking for something else, but the ability to notice
such events and make use of them - these are the results of systematic mental preparation. What
seems like an accident is just another form of expertise. But the coniunction of accident and
expertise was part of Walpole's original definition. The three princes made their discoveries by
'accident and sagacity (wisdom)'. There is no agreement among scientists on the term and its use.
Some scientists using the word 'serendipity meant to stress those accidents belonging to the
situation; others treated serendipity as a personal capacity, and many others exploited the
ambiguity of the notion
F The context in which scientific serendipity was most contested was the idea of planned
science. Those who thought that scientific research could be confidently planned, as did some
corporate capitalists and government functionaries, were betting against serendipity. Those who,
on the other hand, considered that attempts to organise and plan science were ill-advised could
recruit the idea of serendipity to their cause. The
'serendipitists' were not all academics; as authors Merton and Barber note, two of the great early
20th-century pioneers of industrial research, Willis Whitney and Irving Langmuir, both of
General Electric, made much of serendipity as they argued against overly rigid research
planning. Langmuir thought that misconceptions about the rationality of the research process did
much harm, and that an acceptance of uncertainty was much more likely to result in productive
research policies. So from the centre of the corporate world came powerful arguments for
scientific spontaneity and autonomy.
G For Merton, the concept was central to his work in the social sciences. In 1936 he wrote
an essay in which he argued that it is the nature of social action that what one intends is seldom
what one gets; people wanting to be alone with nature go to national parks like the Yosemite
Valley, and end up crowding each other. We do not know enough, and can never know enough,
to ensure that the past is an adequate guide to the future.
Eventually, he believes, all social action, including that formulated according to the most rational
criteria, is uncertain in its consequences.
Questions 33 - 37
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
Write the correct letter in boxes 33-37 on your answer sheet.
33 The concept of inductivism mentioned in paragraph A
A means being ready to accept chance results.
B evolved out of the idea of serendipity.
C is very similar to deductivism.
D means planning research thoroughly.
34 In paragraph D, Medawar's statement that There is no such thing as the Scientific
Method' meant that he
A felt that scientific research was useless.
B wanted scientists to be more methodical.
C believed in the concept of serendipity.
D doubted the usefulness of serendipity in science.
35 According to the writer, some scientists disliked the concept of serendipity because they
A felt it devalued their scientific expertise.
B believed it would make research unnecessary.
C did not believe accidents could be useful.
D thought it would lead to mistakes in science.
36 Irving Langmuir believed that acceptance of uncertainty
A would be useless in the industrial field.
B could not be a part of research planning.
C would improve the chances of research success.
D would attract more support from business.
37 The example of Yosemite Valley is used to demonstrate that
A natural places are often very overcrowded.
B it is difficult to be sure about the outcome of plans.
 C history provides a good model when planning for the future.
D human knowledge of nature is inadequate.

Questions 38 - 40
Complete the sentences below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 38-40 on your answer sheet.
38 The word 'serendipity' appeared for the first time in the writings of ...............
39 The story from which the word 'serendipity' was taken was a ..............
40 The word 'serendipity' derives from the former name of a place now called ............. .
The Accidental Scientist

27. v

28. vi

29. viii

30. i

31. iv

32. vii

33. A

34. C

35. A

36. C

37. B

38. Horace Walpole

39. Fairy tale

40. Sri Lanka

READING PASSAGE I

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

A survivor’s story.
One native bird in New Zealand that has managed to survive the introduction of non-native
species.

As an island country with a fauna dominated by birds, New Zealand was once home to an owl species
which is now extinct, the ‘laughing owl’, named for its distinctive cry. This bird was widespread
throughout the islands when European settlers arrived in the middle of the 19th century, and it
remained in good numbers for some years thereafter. Where other native birds suffered from predation
by the Polynesian rat, the laughing owl turned the tables and adapted its diet to include the rodent. It
was also capable of catching and killing the other New Zealand owl, the morepork, and even larger birds,
such as the weka. However, the laughing owl was wiped our around the beginning of the 20th century,
its demise caused by specimen collectors, habitat changes, and non-native predators including cats and
stoats. Surprisingly, it is the smaller owl, the morepork, that has managed to survive until this day.

Speckled dark brown, with yellow eyes and long tails, they are around 29 centimetres long from head to
tail and 175 grams in weight. Moreporks have fringes on the edge of their feathers, so they can fly
almost silently and not alert potential prey. They have acute hearing, and their large eyes are very
sensitive to light.

Moreporks nest in tree hollows, in clumps of plants, or in cavities among rucks and roots, hi the wild,
moreporks usually start nesting in October, although zoo specimens have been recorded nesting in
midwinter, possibly stimulated by an ample food supply. The female lays up to three white eggs, which
she incubates for 20 to 30 days. During this time, she rarely hunts, and the male brings food to her. Once
the chicks hatch, she stays mainly on the nest until the young owls are fully feathered. When hatched,
chicks are covered in light grey down, and have their eyes closed. The eves do not open until the eighth
day after hatching. They can fly at around 35 days.

By day, moreporks sleep in roosts. By night, they hunt a variety of animals mainly large invertebrates,
including scarab and huhu beetles, moths, caterpillars and spiders. They also take small birds and mice.
They can find suitable food in pine forests as well as native forest. A morepork uses its sharp talons to
catch or stun its prey, which it then carries away in its bill. Moreporks are clever hunters, and birds such
as robins, grey warblers and fantails can end up as their prey. In the day, these small birds sometimes
mob drowsy moreporks and chase them away from their roosts. They force the sleepy predators to
search for a more peaceful spot.

Moreporks have proved to be ungracious hosts. Scientists trying to establish a population of plovers on
Motuora Island in New Zealand’s Hauraki Gulf were mystified as to why only two birds survived out of
75 placed there. The culprits turned out to be five pairs of moreporks that ate or chased away the new
arrivals.

Although moreporks are still considered to be relatively common, it is likely that numbers are in gradual
decline due to predation and loss of habitat. As the female is a hole-nester, she is vulnerable to
predators such as stoats and possums during the breeding season, and eggs and chicks will also be at
risk from rats. The use of pesticides is another possible threat to the owls, though not a direct one. As
moreporks are at the top of the food chain, they could be affected by an accumulative poison by
consuming prey that has ingested poison.

The New Zealand Department of Conservation is taking steps to ensure the preservation of New
Zealand’s only native owl. The department is involved in measuring the population of moreporks and
has put transmitters on a number of birds to determine survival and mortality. As well as being New
Zealand’s only native owl, the morepork has symbolic and spiritual importance, so in monitoring the
birds it is hoped that the morepork will continue to survive and thrive.

At dusk, the melancholy sound of the morepork can be heard in forests and parks as it calls to other
moreporks and claims territory. Its Maori name (ruru) echoes its two-part cry. In the tradition of the
Maori people of New Zealand, the morepork, or ruru, was often seen as a careful guardian. A number of
sayings referred to the bird’s alertness. As a bird of the night, it was associated with the spirit world.
Moreporks were believed to act as messengers to the gods in the heavens, flying along spiritual paths in
the sky. They were the mediums used to communicate with the gods. The occasional high, piercing call
of the morepork signified bad news but the lower-pitched and more common Turn’call heralded good
news.

Questions 1 - 7

Do the following statements agree with the information oven in Rearing Passage 1?

In boxes 1-7 on your answer sheet, write

TRUE if the statement agrees with the information.

FALSE if the statement contradicts.

NOT GIVEN the information if there is no information on this.

1 Early European setters made detailed studies of the morepork.

2 The Polynesian rat had a negative effect on the number of laughing owls.

3 The laughing owl was larger than the morepork.

4 Rats pose a risk to young moreporks.

5 The New Zealand Department of Conservation is hoping to limit the population of moreporks

6 Other bird species are frightened when they hear the morepork’s ciy.

7 In Maori tradition, the low call of the morepork had negative associations.

Questions 8-13

Complete the notes below.

Choose ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer.

Write your answers in boxes 8-13 on your answer sheet.

The Morepork

• Appearance

- approximately 8 _________in length

- large yellow eyes

- feathers with fringes to enable quiet flight

• Nesting

- nests in trees, plants or spaces in roots and 9__________

- after about 35 days, baby moreporks are capable of leaving the nest

• Hunting

- transports its prey using its 10 ________

- can be chased away by other birds during the 11 __________

- attacked 12__________ that had been introduced to Motuora Island

• Threats

- predators such as stoats and possums

- may be exposed to 13_____________ in their prey

READING PASSAGE 2
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26 Questions 14-19
Reading Passage 2 has six paragraphs, A-F
Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of heading below. Write the correct
number (i-ix) in boxes 14-19 on your answer sheet.
List of Headings
i. Potential production capabilities of vertical farms
ii. Opposition to new ideas about food production
iii. A successful application of vertical farming technology
iv. The potential to provide urgent relief
v. The original inspiration for vehicle farming
vi. Various environmental benefits at vertical farming
vii. An increasing problem for farmers
viii. A return to traditional farming methods
ix. A rising demand for food

14 Paragraph A
15 Paragraph B
16 Paragraph C

17 Paragraph D

18 Paragraph E

19 Paragraph F
 Skyscraper Farming
With a global food crisis predicted, a group of scientists is advocating an innovative alternative to
conventional farming that could radically transform the way that food is produced.

A Today's environment scientists are in no doubt that the world's resources of fertile soil are
rapidly deteriorating, and that new land for agriculture is becoming ever more sparse. Intensive
farming urbanisation, desertification and sea-level rises are all putting growing pressure on the planers
agricultural land and therefore on food supplies. Currently 24 per cent of the worlds 11.5 billion
hectares of cultivated land has already undergone human- induced soil degradation particularly
through erosion, according to a recent study by the UK Government Office for Science.

B The global population is expected to exceed nine billion by 2050 – up a third from today's
level and studies suggest that food production will have to go up by 70 per cent if we are to feed all
of those new mouths. This means that scientists will have to develop new ways of growing crops if
we are to avoid a humanitarian crisis. Indeed, UN Food and Agriculture Organization figures suggest
that the number of undernourished people is already growing. And with escalating climate change,
crop yields in many areas have been projected to decline.

C With this in mind, some scientists and agricultural experts are advocating an innovative
alternative to traditional farming whereby skyscrapers packed with shelf- based systems for growing
vegetables on each storey – know as 'vertical farms' - could hold the key to revolutionising
agriculture. Columbia University professor Dickson Despommier claims that vertical farming could
boost crop yields many times over. A single 20-storey vertical farm could theoretically feed 50 000
people according to Despommier. And if the theory translates into realty as proposed. 160
skyscraper-sized vertical farms could feed the entire population of New York City, while 180 would
be needed to feed London, 289 to feed Cairo and 302 to feed Kolkata.

D It’s a compelling vision, and one that has already been put into practice in Asia. Albeit on a
smaller scale. But there are problems. such as initial investment and operating costs that are too
great’. says a spokesman for Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Nevertheless
Tokyo-based mushroom producer Hokuto Corporation is a model

example of how a vertical farm can be profitable. With 28 vertical mushroom farms operating across
the country. it produces some 68,000 tonnes of mushrooms annually. Vertical mushroom farms have
more advantages than ground-level farms.' says Hokuto's Ted Yamanoko. Yamanoko goes on to
highlight the relative cost-effectiveness of his organisation's farming practices together with reduced
emissions of greenhouse gases.
E And the impact of vertical farms could extend beyond feeding established urban populations.
Despommier sees them as being capable of helping centres of displaced persons - such as refugee
camps - in much the same way that Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) units are deployed in
emergency situations. 'Developing an emergency-response system for crop production inside
specially constructed modular and highly transportable greenhouses would allow for humanitarian
interventions. at least for refuges that are forced out of their countries by political turmol', he says. 'If
you have three or four storeys of food already growing some place, they could become mobile units
that could be picked up by helicopters and dropped into the middle of a crisis zone. The food would
be ready to pick and eat. It could be designed to supply people with all the nutrition they need to
make it through the crisis.'

F But it isn't only about increasing food production. Despommier is concerned about the harm
which farming has done to the world's landscape over a relatively short time span, particularly the
elimination of hardwood forests. 'Farming is onl 12 000 years old. ' he points out 'We have been a
species for over 200.000 years. Producing food in tall, buildings will allow us for the first time to
feed everyone on earth and still return land to its original ecological function.' Natalie Jeremijenko,
associate professor at New York University. agrees. The challenge that we have now is how we can
design urban agriculture systems that not only reduce food miles, but also improve the worlds
ecosystems: she says. 'By significantly reducing the amount of land required for food production.
vertical farms could help to enrich biodiversity. And according to Jeremijenko, this can, in turn, help
to improve the productivity of conventional farms. as the health of agricultural land is often tied to
the health of the surrounding ecosystems. Furthermore, vertical farming could dramatically cut the
utilisation of fossil fuels, and also reduce geopolitical tensions in countries where poor farming
conditions cause conflict and malnutrition.
Questions 20- 22
Complete the sentences below
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer. Waite your answers in
boxes 20-22 on your answer sheet
20 A UK Government study found that. is a significant factor contributing to worldwide
levels of soil degradation.
21 Disadvantages of vertical farming projects include the expense of setting them up as
well as their high………………….
22 Could potentially be used to take vertical farming facilitiesto areas where there is a
critical food shortage.
Questions 23-26. Look at the following statements (Questions 23-26) and the list of people in the
box below.
Match each statement with the correct person A-D.
Write the appropriate letter A-C in boxes 23-26 on your answer sheet. NB You may use any letter
more than once.

23 Vertical farming can have financial benefits

24 Traditional farming has had a negative effect on the natural world

25 Vertical farming could dramatically increase world food production.

26 Traditional farms may benefit from wider use of vertical farming

List of people
A. Dickson Despommier
B. Ted Yamanoko
C. Natalie Jeremijenko
SKYSCRAPER FARMING
14. VII
15. IX
16. I
17. III
18. IV
19. VI
20. EROSION
21. OPERATING COSTS
22. HELICOPTERS
23. B
24. A
25. A
26. C
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.

Farmers

An iconic chain store in New Zealand reaches a milestone

A. The chain of stores known as Farmers began one hundred years ago as a mail order company. Today the
Farmers chain employs 3,500 staff across 58 branches making it the most venerable institution of its type in
New Zealand. Coming to Farmers once a week has become woven into the fabric of New Zealand culture,'
says business historian Ian Hunter. By 1960, one in every ten people had an account with the company. It was
not only a shop but also hosted the largest annual parade in the country, the Santa parade each Christmas
time. Gary Blumenthal, whose family have been customers for three generations, understands well the role
Farmers have played in New Zealand culture. 'We were on holiday in Auckland,' he explains, 'and I decided
that the lookout tower on top of the Farmers building would be a unique place to fit the ring on my new
fiancee's finger.' The couple has been married for 50 years.

B. Farmers' longevity can be attributed to the philosophy fostered by Robert Laidlaw, the Scottish immigrant
who established the business. Right from the outset, Laidlaw guaranteed customer satisfaction, and those
who were not entirely happy with a purchase would receive a full refund with no questions asked. This was
certainly the first time such a guarantee had been made by a New Zealand retailer and was probably one of
the first worldwide. Laidlaw believed that the scheme could work if he ensured that every product sold was
of the highest quality relative to its price.

C. Another important aspect of the Farmers' philosophy was to internationalize the New Zealand market. By
the time the Hobson Street store opened in 1920 in order to sell directly to customers for the first time,
Laidlaw had established buying officers in New York and London so as to offer his customers the latest
designs. This was a bold move in those days and won Farmers a devoted following. It's also true that whoever
you speak to regarding Farmers in the early years, whether managers or workers, they all emphasize how the
company represented a large family. Everyone employed by Laidlaw felt they were building something that
would ultimately be to the benefit of the whole country. For example, to mark the centenary celebrations, 58
Farmers' stores around the country announced the neighborhood charities they would raise funds for
everything from guide dog services to volunteer fire brigades will benefit.

D. Farmers has always had a heart, according to former board chairman Rawdon Busfield. 'One day I was in
the Hobson Street store and a woman came in with two small children- they didn't have a lot of money, you
could tell. That week we had a special on, a big bar of chocolate for a shilling... But the boy only had a penny. I
took the penny and gave him the chocolate.' However, not everything has stayed the same. Farmers was once
home to genteel tea rooms, children's playgrounds, and an annual sale to celebrate the birthday of Hector
the Parrot- who came to embody the store in the eyes of many shoppers and who died, aged 131, in the
1970s. You could buy houses from Farmers, and its saddle factory supplied the armed forces. In fact, although
the company has grown considerably over the years, today it sells a narrower assortment of products than in
the past.
E. Walk through a Farmers store today and you'll see big changes. Its most recent branch in the suburb of
Albany is filled with bright lights and big brands. The branch sells cosmetics from 16 different international
companies and buys from approximately 500 suppliers, of which about 30 percent are locally owned. 'Eight or
ten years ago,' says current chief executive Rod McDermott, 'lots of brands wouldn't partner with us. We
weren't in trouble as such, but we could have been doing much better because we were focused too much on
price and not on fashion. The reorientation of the last decade has seen a great improvement.'

F. Farmers almost didn't pull through one economic crisis. In the mid 1980s, business was booming and the
company had stores throughout the country. Then, with sales topping $375 million, it was taken over by
Chase Corporation. Lincoln Laidlaw, the son of the company's founder, remembers the dark days following
the stock market crash of 1987 and the collapse of the Chase Corporation. The business was being divided
up,' he says, 'and I believe that the original culture of the store was dispelled and it hasn't been recovered.
That's a shame, but the business is still strong. 'For a few turbulent years the stores were controlled first by a
consortium of Australian banks, and later a local corporation. In 2003, it went back into 'family' ownership
with the purchase by the James Pascoe Group owned by an established New Zealand retail family. Brand
power has made Farmers profitable again, according to McDermott. 'And now we're becoming the brand we
used to be... It's like the rebirth of an icon.

QUESTIONS 14-18

Reading Passage 2 has six paragraphs, A-F.

Which paragraph contains the following information?

Write the correct letter, A-F, in boxes 14-18 on your answer sheet.

14. a mention of the company being sold

15. a reference to how the range of goods for sale has become more limited

16. an example of an innovative offer made by the company's founder

17. a description of a romantic event on the shop's roof

18. a description of the latest store in the chain QUESTIONS 19-22

Complete the sentences below.

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 19-22 on your answer sheet.

19. Farmers was set up as a/an........ business before it became a chain.

20. Robert Laidlaw set up ........ overseas so he could sell up-to-date fashions.

21. According to employees, Farmers was like a/an ......................

22. Farmers held a/an............................ once a year in honour of the company's famous pet.
QUESTIONS 23-26

Look at the following people (Questions 23-26) and the list of ideas below.

Match each person with the correct idea, A-F.

Write the correct letter, A-F, in boxes 23-26 on your answer sheet.

List of Ideas

A The character of the company has changed for the worse.

B The store is selling more local products than in the past.

C The company believes in offering lower prices than their competitors.

D The staff has always believed in generosity.

E The store is an integral part of the local way of life.

F The store needed to change its approach to business.

List of people

23. Ian Hunter....

24. Rawdon Busfield ....

25. Rod McDermott....

26. Lincoin Laidlaw....
READING PASSAGE 3

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27-40, which are based on Reading Passage 3 on
pages 11 and 12.

Questions 27 - 31

Reading Passage 3 has five sections, A-E.

Choose the correct heading for each section from the list of headings below. Write the correct
number, i-vi, in boxes 27-31 on your answer sheet.

List of Headings

i Evidence of outdoor dwellings

ii Learning to make fire

iii A perfect place to live

iv Examining the cave contents

V Contrasting two types of home

vi A vital source of power

27 Section A

28 Section B

29 Section C

30 Section D

31 Section E
 Neanderthal Technology

A. We think of our prehistoric ancestors as people of the ice and snow, living in caves, and for
many of the west European Neanderthalers that is a just picture of their life. But where there were
no caves, further to the east on the Russian steppe, for example, open-air sites with some sort of
constructed shelter were the only option.

We now know much more about the cave sites than the open-air ones because, historically, it was
the cave sites of Western Europe that were first explored by archaeologists and also because open-
air sites are harder to find - many of them have disappeared under deep mud deposits or under the
rising postglacial seas. Caves, moreover, aid the survival of archaeological material and can
preserve the records of remote millennia.

B. In south-west France, the limestone caves of the Périgord region made ideal homes for the
Neanderthal people. There were good supplies of flint to hand for axes and the like, and the caves
were often sited in small river valleys that offered protection against the worst of the weather. The
Neanderthalers liked south-facing caves, for obvious reasons of sunshine and wind avoidance, and
caves at some height above the valley floor offered refuge from floods and good game-watching
vantage

The Périgord region during the last ice age was, in fact, an exceptionally benign habitat for humans.
It enjoyed a rather maritime climate with cooler summers that permitted the extension of tundra
and steppe over its higher plateaux, and its year-round high levels of sunshine favoured the growth
of the ground plants needed by reindeer, bison and horse. Winters were mildish for the ice age,
animals never needed to migrate far from summer to winter, and men never needed to travel far
from home to find abundant supplies of meat.

C. In Central and Eastern Europe, where caves were unavailable, such open-air sites as have
been discovered were mostly located near water - both because this was a good area to be for
people and animals, and also because the sedimentation potential of lakes and stream courses
has aided archaeological preservation - whereas erosion has presumably blown away sites which
were out in the open. Some of the open-air sites in Germany, Central Europe and Russia have
provided valuable information about Neanderthal man and his way of life. From Moldova, for
example, comes evidence that has been interpreted as the remains of wind-break structures, or
even a large tent: n ring, up to about 8 x 5m in size, of mainly mammoth bones enclosing a dense
concentration of stone tools, animal bones and ash.

D. From the west European caves more evidence of built structures is available, and some of it
goes back a long way in time. In the Grotte du Lazaret, near Nice, at a date during the last ice age
but one, claims for some sort of skin tent within the cave have been advanced, on the basis of
arrangements of large stones out from the cave wall that might have supported timber struts for a
covering of skins up to the rock face above.

At Lazaret, what might be openings in the hypothesised tents seem to point away from the cave
mouth, and finds of wolf and fox foot bones, without the rest of the skeletons, inside these ‘tents’
have been thought to indicate the use of animal pelts as bed coverings. The two patches of ash at
Lazaret that mark ancient fires, with stone tools around them evidently made and used on the spot,
are edged with small marine molluse shells, prompting the excavator to suggest that seaweed had
been used as bedding around the fires. The cave of Baume-Bonne in the Basses-Alpes region of
France, another early site, boasts ten square metres of cobbles brought up from the local river and
laid down, as though to take care of a puddle area in the cave, with the smoothest and roundest
surfaces of the stones uppermost, and there are other similar cases.

E. The ash encountered in concentrations at some sites testifies to the Neanderthal people’s use of
fire: not surprising, since use of fire was, by Neanderthal times, an already ancient
accomplishment of evolving humanity, and survival in the sub-arctic conditions faced by the
Neanderthalers is inconceivable without control of fire. Fire gave warmth, light, heat for cooking
and defence against predatory animals. A charred piece of birch from Krapina in Croatia, is thought
to be the remains of a fire-making twirl stick. But Neanderthal hearths, in the sense of specially
constructed places for fire, are fewer and harder to identify with certainty than the mere ash piles
that are a regular feature of their sites. They seem often to have just lit a small fire (40- 50cm across)
on the existing ground surface of the cave, without preparation. Judging from the shallow
penetration of heat effects under the ash, this fire was only of a short duration. Sometimes the fires
were larger in size, up to one metre across, and quite irregular in shape. It is not always easy to
decide how much additional structure some fires possessed: claims of stone circles to contain the
fire run up against the fact that stones tend to litter the cave floors everywhere and those around a
fire can quite accidentally look as though they were arranged in a circle.

Questions 32 - 36

Look at the following findings (Questions 32-36) and the list of places below. Match each finding
with the correct place A-E.

Write the correct letter, A-E, in boxes 32-36 on your answer sheet.

NB You may use any letter more than once.

32 a burnt piece of wood

33 evidence of efforts to prevent pools of water forming

34 the remains of sea creatures

35 a circular arrangement of animal bones

36 evidence suggesting the use of animal fur for warmth

List of Places

A The Périgord région

B Moldova

C The Grotte du Lazaret

D The cave of Baume-Bonne

E Krapina
Questions 37 - 39 Complete the summary below.

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

Write your answers in boxes 37-39 on your answer sheet.

The use of fire

Neanderthalers could not have survived without fire because the conditions they lived

in were 37………… Most evidence of purpose-built fires takes the form of ash

piles, features of which suggest that the fires lasted a 38………………. time. It is hard

to be certain about the size and structure of the fires, though they were certainly

needed to protect the occupants from dangerous 39………………….. among other

things.

Question 40

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

Write the correct letter in box 40 on your answer sheet.

The purpose of the writer of this article is to

A argue that Neanderthal homes were bigger than originally thought.

B explain why Neanderthal people migrated to Western Europe.

C discuss what is known about Neanderthal settlements.

D track the progress of early Neanderthal development.

27 v

28 iii

29i

30 iv

31 vi

32 E

33 D

34 C

35 B

36 C

37 sub-arctic

38 short

39 animals

40 D
Passage 1:

William Gilbert and Magnetism

The 16th and 17th centuries saw two great pioneers of modern science: Galileo and Gilbert. The

impact of their findings is eminent. Gilbert was the first modern scientist, also the accredited

father of the science of electricity and magnetism, an Englishman of learning and a physician at

the court of Elizabeth. Prior to him, all that was known of electricity and magnetism was what

the ancients knew, nothing more than that the lodestone possessed magnetic properties and that

amber and jet, when rubbed, would attract bits of paper or other substances of small specific

gravity. However, he is less well known than he deserves.

Gilbert’s birth pre-dated Galileo. Born in an eminent local family in Colchester County in the

UK, on May 24, 1544, he went to grammar school, and then studied medicine at St John’s

College, Cambridge, graduating in 1573. Later he travelled in the continent and eventually

settled down in London.

He was a very successful and eminent doctor. All this culminated in his election to the president

of the Royal Science Society. He was also appointed personal physician to the Queen (Elizabeth

I), and later knighted by the Queen. He faithfully served her until her death. However, he didn’t

outlive the Queen for long and died on November 30, 1603, only a few months after his

appointment as personal physician to King James.

D

Gilbert was first interested in chemistry but later changed his focus due to the large portion of

mysticism of alchemy involved (such as the transmutation of metal). He gradually developed his

interest in physics after the great minds of the ancient, particularly about the knowledge the

ancient Greeks had about lodestones, strange minerals with the power to attract iron. In the

meantime, Britain became a major seafaring nation in 1588 when the Spanish Armada was

defeated, opening the way to British settlement of America. British ships depended on the

magnetic compass, yet no one understood why it worked. Did the Pole Star attract it, as

Columbus once speculated; or was there a magnetic mountain at the pole, as described in

Odyssey, which ships would never approach, because the sailors thought its pull would yank out

all their iron nails and fittings? For nearly 20 years, William Gilbert conducted ingenious

experiments to understand magnetism. His works include On the Magnet, Magnetic Bodies, and

the Great Magnet of the Earth.

Gilbert’s discovery was so important to modern physics. He investigated the nature of

magnetism and electricity. He even coined the word “electric”. Though the early beliefs of

magnetism were also largely entangled with superstitions such as that rubbing garlic on

lodestone can neutralise its magnetism, one example being that sailors even believed the smell of

garlic would even interfere with the action of compass, which is why helmsmen were forbidden

to eat it near a ship’s compass. Gilbert also found that metals can be magnetised by rubbing

materials such as fur, plastic or the like on them. He named the ends of a magnet “north pole”

and “south pole”. The magnetic poles can attract or repel, depending on polarity. In addition,

however, ordinary iron is always attracted to a magnet. Though he started to study the
relationship between magnetism and electricity, sadly he didn’t complete it. His research of static

electricity using amber and jet only demonstrated that objects with electrical charges can work

like magnets attracting small pieces of paper and stuff. It is a French guy named du Fay that

discovered that there are actually two electrical charges, positive and negative

He also questioned the traditional astronomical beliefs. Though a Copernican, he didn’t express

in his quintessential beliefs whether the earth is at the centre of the universe or in orbit around

the sun. However, he believed that stars are not equidistant from the earth but have their own

earth-like planets orbiting around them. The earth itself is like a giant magnet, which is also why

compasses always point north. They spin on an axis that is aligned with the earth’s polarity. He

even likened the polarity of the magnet to the polarity of the earth and built an entire magnetic

philosophy on this analogy. In his explanation, magnetism is the soul of the earth. Thus a

perfectly spherical lodestone, when aligned with the earth’s poles, would wobble all by itself in

24 hours. Further, he also believed that the sun and other stars wobble just like the earth does

around a crystal core, and speculated that the moon might also be a magnet caused to orbit by its

magnetic attraction to the earth. This was perhaps the first proposal that a force might cause a

heavenly orbit.
G

His research method was revolutionary in that he used experiments rather than pure logic and

reasoning like the ancient Greek philosophers did. It was a new attitude towards the scientific

investigation. Until then, scientific experiments were not in fashion. It was because of this

scientific attitude, together with his contribution to our knowledge of magnetism, that a unit of

magneto motive force, also known as magnetic potential, was named Gilbert in his honour. His

approach of careful observation and experimentation rather than the authoritative opinion or

deductive philosophy of others had laid the very foundation for modern science.

Questions 1-7

Reading Passage 244 has seven paragraphs A-G. Choose the correct heading for each paragraph

from the list of headings below.

Write the correct number i-x in boxes 1-7 on your answer sheet.

List of headings

i Early years of Gilbert

ii What was new about his scientific research method

iii The development of chemistry

iv Questioning traditional astronomy

v Pioneers of the early science

vi Professional and social recognition

vii Becoming the president of the Royal Science Society

viii The great works of Gilbert

ix His discovery about magnetism

x His change of focus

1. Paragraph A

2. Paragraph B

3. Paragraph C

4. Paragraph D

5. Paragraph E

6. Paragraph F

7. Paragraph G

Questions 8-10

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

In boxes 8-10 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

8. He is less famous than he should be.

9. He was famous as a doctor before he was employed by the Queen.

10. He lost faith in the medical theories of his time.

Questions 11-13

Choose THREE letters A-F. Write your answers in boxes 11-13 on your answer sheet.

Which THREE of the following are parts of Gilbert’s discovery?

A. Metal can be transformed into another.

B. Garlic can remove magnetism,

C. Metals can be magnetised.

D. Stars are at different distances from the earth.

E. The earth wobbles on its axis.

F. There are two charges of electricity.

1. v
2. i
3. vi
4. x
5. ix
6. iv
7. ii
8. TRUE
9. TRUE
10. NOT GIVEN
11. 12. & 13. C, D, E [in any order]
 2

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.

Chilli Peppers
For thousands of years, humans have
taken painful pleasure from adding
chillies (also known as peppers or chilli
peppers) to their food. A study published
in the British Medical Journal in 2015
indicated that a diet filled with spices —
including chillies — was beneficial for
health. The study, which was carried out
by scientists at the Chinese Academy of
Medical Sciences, tracked the health of nearly half a million
participants in China for several years.They found that participants
who ate spicy food once or twice a week had a mortality rate
lower than those who ate spicy food less than once a week. Risk
of death reduced still further for people who ate spicy food six or
seven days a week. Chilli peppers were the most commonly used
spice among the sample, and those who ate fresh chilli had a lower
probability of death from cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

The health-promoting properties of chillies can be found in capsaicin,

which is the odourless, colourless chemical compound that makes
chillies hot. Inside a chilli there are yellow stalks that attach the seeds
to its sides and in many types of chilli, this is the location of capsaicin,
but there are several varieties where this is not the case. The heat of a
chilli is measured in Scoville heat units, which is the number of times a
sample of dissolved dried chilli must be diluted by its own weight in
sugar water before it loses its heat. For a green bell pepper this is zero,
But habanero peppers have a Scoville value of between 100,000 and
350,000. For pure capsaicin the figure is 16 million. Pure capsaicin can
be bought on the internet, though its use as a food additive is banned in
 the European Union. The use of chilli peppers as weapons dates back to
pre-Columbian times (before 1492), when, it is said, Mayans burned
rows of them to create a stinging smokescreen to protect themselves
from their enemies. The Aztecs also put chilli on their teeth to kill
toothache pain, and the use of capsaicin as a pain reliever continues
today.

Joshua Tewksbury, a natural historian at the University of Washington,

thinks the burning sensation we experience when we come into contact
with chillies is an evolutionary trick, 'We're not actually being damaged
by the capsaicin the way we would be if we were touching a stove, but
our brain thinks we are,' he says, adding that all mammals experience
the same sensation but that birds do not. 'They can eat chillies like
popcorn and they don't feel the heat.' In this way, Tewksbury suggests,
the plant evolved to repel animals that might crush its seeds with their
teeth, but not ones that would help spread them.

Chillies also fight bacteria. This was of great value in the days before
refrigeration, when, particularly in the tropics, people were vulnerable to
bacteria that could harm them directly or cause their food to spoil. Chillies kill
or inhibit 75% of such bacteria. That may just explain the spice's world-
conquering success. Just two or three years after the explorer
Christopher Columbus brought chilli seeds back to Europe from the New
World in 1493, Portuguese merchants took the plants to Asia, where they
would transform the cuisine, People in hot countries are said to use more chilli
because it makes them generate a lot of sweat, which cools them down. But in
1998, researchers at Cornell University pointed out that the greater use of
spices in countries such as India, Thailand and China was likely to be linked to
the antibacterial function. By studying books filled with recipes from all over
the world, the researchers found that spices including chilli were more likely
to be used close to the equator, and were also used more in valleys with high
levels of humidity than on high plateaux.
Capsaicin has even been suggested as a potential weight-loss tool.
Research conducted by the University of Wyoming on mice that had
been fed a high-fat diet found that the substance increased the
metabolism of the animals, causing them to burn more energy and
preventing weight gain. In another study, researchers at the University
of Adelaide found that certain receptors that interact with capsaicin
and are located inside the stomach play a role in sensing when you are
full. Previous studies on humans seem to back the idea that eating
spicy food may curb our appetite.

Capsaicin is a natural painkiller. Capsaicin creams and patches are

available in chemists to ease pain. But it's only recently that we have
come to understand how something that causes pain can ease it too.
Capsaicin binds to the pain receptor TRPVI, which our brains also use
to detect changes in temperature — that's why we think chillies are
hot. But after being over- stimulated the neurons stop responding,
killing the pain. This process involves the release of endorphins,
which can give us a 'rush' not unlike the feeling we have when we
have done some exercise. This may explain why some people believe
that hot food is addictive.
Questions 1 — 7
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading
Passage 1?

In boxes 1-7 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 The study done by the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences looked at eating
habits in several countries.

2 Eating fresh chillies can decrease the likelihood of dying from certain serious
illnesses.

3 Capsaicin is found in the same place in all chilli varieties.

4 Habanero peppers are the hottest known peppers.

5 Pure capsaicin is licensed for use in food products in the European

Union,
6 The Aztecs were the first to use capsaicin as a pain killer.

7 Birds have different physical responses to eating chillies to those of

mammals.
Questions 8 — 13
Complete the notes below.

Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.

Write your answers in boxes 8-13 on your answer sheet.

The health benefits of chilli

Using chilli to fight bacteria

chilli's ability to fight germs was very significant before the invention
of 8 ………..

it was thought that chilli was eaten because it causes bodies to produce
9 …………. which reduces body heat

books of 10 ………from around the world show chilli is more

commonly used in certain geographical areas

chilli is most likely to be used in valleys with a lot of humidity

Using chilli for weight loss

the University of Wyoming found that chilli raised the mice's 11………….
the University of Adelaide found that receptors in the 12……… react with
chilli to indicate when you've had enough to eat

Using chilli as pain relief

it reacts with the part of our brain that notices a difference in temperature
the sensation we have when eating chilli is similar to the one we have after
13……….
READING PASSAGE 2
The history of cakes at weddings
In Western cultures, since antiquity. Weddings customarily have been
celebrated with a special cake. Ancient Roman wedding ceremonies were
finalized by breaking a cake of wheat or barley over the bride’s head as n
symbol of good fortune. The newly married couple then ate some of the
crumbs together. Afterward, the wedding guests gathered up the remaining
crumbs as tokens of good luck. Wedding guests were also supplied with
sweetmeats called confetti, a sweet mixture of nuts, dried fruit and honeyed
almonds. Handfuls of confetti were showered over the bride and groom;
indeed, it seems to have been the custom to throw confetti about
enthusiastically. Eventually, confetti in the form of sweets and nuts was
replaced with rice, flower petals, or colored paper, and these new types of
confetti continue to be thrown over newly married couples in many countries
around the world.

When the Romans invaded Britain in 43 AD, many of their customs and
traditions became part of British life. These customs included their wedding
customs, and when the Normans invaded Britain in 1066 they brought many
French traditions. Other changes came about due to increased trade and
contact with Europe, but present-day British wedding traditions remain firmly
rooted in the past. In medieval Britain, small spiced buns, which were
common everyday fare, were often eaten at weddings. These were stacked in a
towering pile, as high as possible. If the bride and groom were able to kiss
over the tall stack, it augured a lifetime of riches. The earliest British recipe
exclusively for eating at weddings is Bride Pie, which was recorded in 1685.
This was a large round pie with an elaborately decorated pastry crust that
concealed a filling of oysters, pine nuts lamb and spices. Each guest had to eat
a small piece of the pier not to do so was considered extremely impolite. A
ring was traditionally placed in the pie, and the lady who found it would be
next to marry.

In the 17th century, Bride Pie was changed into Bride Cake, the predecessor of
the modern British wedding cake. Cakes containing dried fruit and sugar,
symbols of prosperity, gradually became the centerpieces for weddings. Some
people made Bride Cake in the cheaper form of two large rounds of pastry
sandwiched together with currants and sprinkled with sugar. Very few homes
at the time could boast of having ovens, but this type of pastry cake could be
cooked on a baking stone on the hearth.

Later in the 17th century, there was a new development when wedding cakes
began to be made in pairs, one for the bride and another for the groom. Both
cakes were dark, heavy fruitcakes; the groom’s cake was smaller than the
bride’s cake, and was cut up into little squares that were placed in boxes for
the guests to take home as a wedding memento. Groom’s cakes gradually died
out and are no longer part of British weddings. However, the tradition has
undergone a revival in the United States, where for many years the groom’s
cake has served as a wedding gift for guests. Modern groom’s cakes are often
formed and decorated to depict the groom’s hobby, for example a golf bag, a
camera, a chess board.
Groom’s cakes were never covered with icing, but Bride Cake covered with
white icing first appeared sometime in the 17th century. After the cake was
baked, it was covered with a pure white, smooth icing made with double
refined sugar, egg whites, and orange-flower water. The mixture was beaten
for two hours, then spread over the cake and dried in the oven until hard. A
pure white color was much sought after for wedding cake icing because white
icing meant that only the finest refined sugar had been used. Thus a pure white
cake was a status symbol, as it displayed the family’s wealth.

The late 1800s in Britain saw the introduction of a new tradition, with the first
multi-tiered wedding cakes. These were impressive cakes: they were heavy
because they were made with so much dried fruit, and highly decorated with
icing and embellished with sugar flowers, doves, horseshoes and bells. The
first multi-tiered cakes comprised iced cakes stacked on top of each other
rather like a succession of boxes gradually decreasing in size. The cakes from
the upper tiers did not sink into the lower tiers because they were a bit put on
top of each other until the icing between each cake had had time to harden. It
was not until the beginning of the 20th century that the cake tiers were
separated and supported by columns.

Twenty-first-century weddings are big business for Britain’s wedding

industry. Over 300,000 people get married each year and a wedding can cost
thousands of pounds. The cost of the all-important wedding cake can be
hundreds of pounds, depending on the dimension and design. It will be
interesting to see whether wedding cakes continue to be popular at weddings.

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. Breaking a cake over the bride’s head was the last part of an ancient Roman
wedding ceremony.
2. Confetti is still made of nuts, dried fruit and honeyed almonds.
3. The groom’s family used to supply the confetti.
4. It was considered lucky for a newly married couple to be able to kiss over a
tower of spiced buns.
5. Only brides were allowed to eat Bride Pie.
6. The wedding cakes eaten in Britain today developed from Bride Cake of the
17th century.
QUESTIONS 7 - 9
Complete the notes below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
Write your answer in boxes 7-9 on your answer sheet.
Wedding cakes
⚫ 17th century- Britain Bride Cake:
- expensive ingredients were a sign of wealth
- less expensive round cakes were made of 7……….with currants in between
and sugar on top
- they were baked on a hearth stone because not all homes had 8………

⚫ Now- United States - Groom’s cake:

- guest receive pieces of the groom’s cake
- cakes may represent the 9……….of the groom

QUESTIONS 10 - 13
Label the diagram below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 10-13 on your answer sheet.

Examples of wedding cakes with several 10 …………

In the early 1900s, 11 ………were used to keep individual cakes apart.

The size of these cakes as well as their 12 ……… affects pricing.

 Hardened 13 ………between cakes stopped higher cakes sinking into tower
cakes.

READING PASSAGE 3
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13. which are based on
Reading Passage 1 on pages 2 and 3.
Flying the Coast
The development of an air service on the west coast of New zealand's
South Island
Cut off from the rest of the country by a
range of mountains, the west coast of
New zealand's South Island -or the
"Coast as it is commonly known -was the
country's"wild west frontier. But unlike
Fiordland to the south, which was and
still is an uninhabitable wilderness, the
Coast in the 1930s was not only
habitable, it was also potentially rich.
Settlers hunted and fished, logged, milled
and mined. They farmed where they
managed to clear the forest and drain the
swamps. It was pure survival at times.
The isolation was inescapable, not so
much because of the great distances that
travellers had to cover, but rather due to
the topography of the place -the
mountains, gorges, glaciers, rivers and
headlands-which necessitated long detours and careful timing with regard to weather
and tides. Bridges were few and far between in the early years, and even ferry
crossings were often impossible after heavy rains. Each river had its attendant
ferryman or woman whose attention a traveller would attract with a rifle shot. It was
the kind of country where one would greatly benefit from a pair of wings.

Maurice Buckley, a World War I pilot, was the first to give Coasters, as the residents
of the region were called, such wings, by establishing the Arrow Aviation Company
in 1923. That year he bought an Avro biplane on the east coast, which he transported
across the country by rail, wings off, before reassembling it in a local garage. When
he opened for business the following year, the colourful Avro was an instant crowd-
pleaser and Coasters queued up for joyrides. For the first major flight, Buckley
invited Dr Teichelmann, a local mountaineer, to join him. They flew over the Franz
Josef Glacier and landed at Okarito. Afterwards, Teichelmann wrote about how
extraordinary it was to look at the world from the air, like taking the roof off the
house and watching the performances from above.

Next came an aviator named Bert Mercer, who made a reconnaissance flight to the
Coast in August 1933 and started Air Travel (NZ) the following year, Mercers
aircraft of choice was a DI-183 Fox Moth. By comparison with the regular. open-air
aircraft of the day, the Fox Moth was a plane that offered considerable luxury,
housing four passengers in an enclosed forward area fully protected from the
weather. Mercer opened for business in December 1934, picking up the airlines first
passengers and, on the last day of that year, commenced a regular delivery of mail,
carrying 731<9 to Haast and Okuru. From that day on, the Fox Moth became a
much-anticipated sight on the coast.

Mercer got on with everyone and won their respect by anticipating, then meeting
their needs. One of those was setting up the first aerial shipping route to help
transport a kind of small fish known as whitebait Starting in 1935 Mercer would put
the plane down where there was no airstrip, instead using remote beaches such as the
one at the mouth of the Paringa River, collect the whitebait and whisk them off to
the night train and waiting city markets in perfectly fresh condition, Mercer relied on
his senses -what he could see and hear -to navigate, flying around the weather and
contours of the land. Although often warned to do so by aviation authorities, he
refused to develop the skills necessary to navigate the plane "blind, using just its
instruments on the console in front of him. The old habits were too hard to change.

With the outbreak of World war Il, mercer's aircraft were considered so essential to
the remote Coast that they were not militarised. In fact, the business continued to
grow in the early years, thanks in large part to a governmentissued subsidy, which
allowed him to expand into neighbouring areas. Despite the war in far-off lands, life
on the Coast was business as usual. The settlers were always in need of mail and
transportation. In time, though, this presented Mercer with a pressing issue: with so
many now joining the Air Force, he no longer had enough pilots. In 1942 he wrote
in his diary, I am back to where I started eight years ago- on my own.

The only solution to keep the airline going was to pack as much into every plane as
possible and make every flight count. But some of mercer's newly formed team
objected to the amount of cargo they had to carry, which for a small rural airline was
a fact of life. One man, Norm Suttle, left the airline after a few months in protest
about carrying more than was appropriate for the aircraft. This marked another
decline in the airline's fortunes, When Bert Mercer died in 1944, the airline was
taken over by Fred Lucas, a man who shared mercer's pioneering spirit. Under Lucas
s leadership the newly formed West Coast Airways saw Another decade of
profitable returns. But in the following decade, times changed fast. Helicopters were
soon found to be ideal machines for the Coast terrain, and quickly took over the vast
majority of the local air transport business.
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 if there is no information on this
GIVEN information
1. In the 1930s, the Coast and Fiordland had populations of a similar
size.
2. Most settlers on the Coast were migrants from oversea
3. The coast's geographical features made moving around the region
difficult
4. The first bridges to be built on the Coast were swept away by
floods
5. Maurice Buckley flew his Avro biplane to the Coast in 1923
6. Coasters were unwilling to fly at first
Questions 7-13
Complete the notes below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer. Write your
answers in boxes 7-13 on your answer sheet.
Bert Mercer and aviation on the Coast
Early Years
Mercer set up Air Travel (NZ) in 1934
the Fox Moth was noted forits 7 compared to other planes
in 1934 mercer's company started to transport 8.. ..and passengers
from 1935 planes landed on 9.....................to pick up fresh produce
World War Il
the airline expanded at first because it got a 10..... ..from the
state
there was a shortage of 11.... ..by 1942 Final Years
there were disputes at the airline about the quantity of 12..................in
each plane
1950s: 13... .became popular and the airline suffered
KEY AND EXPLANATION
READING PASSAGE 1: Chilli Peppers
Questions 1-7 (True/False/Not Given):
1. The study done by the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences looked at eating habits in several
countries.
o Answer: FALSE
o Explanation: The passage states: "The study... was carried out by scientists at the Chinese
Academy of Medical Sciences... tracked the health of nearly half a million participants in China."
This confirms the study was conducted in China, not several countries.
2. Eating fresh chillies can decrease the likelihood of dying from certain serious illnesses.
o Answer: TRUE
o Explanation: The passage says: "Those who ate fresh chilli had a lower probability of death from
cancer, heart disease, and diabetes." This confirms that eating fresh chillies reduces the likelihood
of dying from certain serious illnesses.
3. Capsaicin is found in the same place in all chilli varieties.
o Answer: FALSE
o Explanation: The passage states: "In many types of chilli, this [capsaicin] is the location of
capsaicin but there are several varieties where this is not the case." This indicates that capsaicin is
not always found in the same place.
4. Habanero peppers are the hottest known peppers.
o Answer: FALSE
o Explanation: The passage says: "Habanero peppers have a Scoville value of between 100,000 and
350,000. For pure capsaicin, the figure is 16 million." This shows that habanero peppers are not
the hottest known, as pure capsaicin is much hotter.
5. Pure capsaicin is licensed for use in food products in the European Union.
o Answer: FALSE
o Explanation: The passage states: "Pure capsaicin can be bought on the internet though its use as a
food additive is banned in the European Union." This confirms that pure capsaicin is banned in
food products in the EU.
6. The Aztecs were the first to use capsaicin as a painkiller.
o Answer: NOT GIVEN
o Explanation: The passage mentions that the Aztecs used chilli on their teeth to kill toothache pain
but does not state that they were the first to use capsaicin as a painkiller.
7. Birds have different physical responses to eating chillies compared to mammals.
o Answer: TRUE
o Explanation: The passage says: "All mammals experience the same sensation but that birds do
not. They can eat chillies like popcorn and they don't feel the heat." This confirms that birds have
a different response to eating chillies compared to mammals.
Questions 8-13 (Complete the Notes):
8. Answer: Refrigeration
o Explanation: The passage states: "This was of great value in the days before refrigeration when...
people were vulnerable to bacteria that could harm them directly or cause their food to spoil." This
confirms that refrigeration was not available, and chilli was valuable for fighting bacteria.
9. Answer: Sweat
o Explanation: The passage states: "People in hot countries are said to use more chilli because it
makes them generate a lot of sweat which cools them down." This shows that chilli was believed
to cause sweating, which helps cool the body.
10. Answer: Recipes
 Explanation: The passage says: "By studying books filled with recipes from all over the world the
researchers found that spices including chilli were more likely to be used close to the equator." This
confirms that recipes show chilli's common usage in certain geographical areas.
11. Answer: Metabolism
 Explanation: The passage states: "Research conducted by the University of Wyoming... found that the
substance increased the metabolism of the animals." This indicates that chilli raised the metabolism of the
mice.
12. Answer: Stomach
  Explanation: The passage states: "The University of Adelaide found that certain receptors that interact
with capsaicin and are located inside the stomach play a role in sensing when you are full." This shows
that the stomach reacts with chilli to indicate fullness.
13. Answer: Exercise
 Explanation: The passage states: "This process involves the release of endorphins which can give us a
'rush' not unlike the feeling we have when we have done some exercise." This shows that the sensation
caused by eating chilli is similar to the rush experienced after exercise.

READING PASSAGE 2: The History of Cakes at Weddings

Questions 1-6 (True/False/Not Given):
1. Breaking a cake over the bride’s head was the last part of an ancient Roman wedding ceremony.
o Answer: TRUE
o Explanation: The passage states: "Ancient Roman wedding ceremonies were finalized by
breaking a cake of wheat or barley over the bride’s head as a symbol of good fortune." This shows
that the cake breaking was the final part of the ceremony.
2. Confetti is still made of nuts, dried fruit, and honeyed almonds.
o Answer: FALSE
o Explanation: The passage states: "Eventually confetti in the form of sweets and nuts was replaced
with rice, flower petals or colored paper." This confirms that confetti is no longer made from the
original ingredients.
3. The groom’s family used to supply the confetti.
o Answer: NOT GIVEN
o Explanation: There is no mention in the passage about who supplied the confetti, so the
information is not given.
4. It was considered lucky for a newly married couple to be able to kiss over a tower of spiced buns.
o Answer: TRUE
o Explanation: The passage says: "These [spiced buns] were stacked in a towering pile as high as
possible. If the bride and groom were able to kiss over the tall stack, it augured a lifetime of
riches." This shows that it was considered lucky for the couple.
5. Only brides were allowed to eat Bride Pie.
o Answer: FALSE
o Explanation: The passage says: "Each guest had to eat a small piece of the pie; not to do so was
considered extremely impolite." This shows that everyone, not just the bride, was expected to eat
the Bride Pie.
6. The wedding cakes eaten in Britain today developed from Bride Cake of the 17th century.
o Answer: TRUE
o Explanation: The passage states: "In the 17th century Bride Pie was changed into Bride Cake, the
predecessor of the modern British wedding cake." This confirms that modern British wedding
cakes developed from Bride Cake.
Questions 7-9 (Complete the Notes):
7. Answer: Pastry
o Explanation: The passage says: "Some people made Bride Cake in the cheaper form of two large
rounds of pastry sandwiched together with currants and sprinkled with sugar." This indicates the
cakes were made of pastry.
8. Answer: Ovens
o Explanation: The passage states: "Very few homes at the time could boast of having ovens but
this type of pastry cake could be cooked on a baking stone on the hearth." This confirms that
ovens were not common.
9. Answer: Hobby
o Explanation: The passage says: "Modern groom’s cakes are often formed and decorated to depict
the groom’s hobby for example a golf bag, a camera, a chessboard." This confirms the hobby
connection.
Questions 10-13 (Diagram Labeling)
10. Answer: Tiers
 Explanation: The passage states: "The first multi-tiered cakes comprised iced cakes stacked on top of
each other." This confirms that the examples of wedding cakes had multiple tiers.
11. Answer: Columns
  Explanation: The passage explains: "It was not until the beginning of the 20th century that the cake tiers
were separated and supported by columns." This shows that columns were used to keep individual cakes
apart.
12. Answer: Design
 Explanation: The passage mentions that "the cost of the all-important wedding cake can be hundreds of
pounds depending on the dimension and design." This confirms that the design of the cake affects the
price.
13. Answer: Icing
 Explanation: The passage says: "The cakes from the upper tiers did not sink into the lower tiers because
they were a bit put on top of each other until the icing between each cake had had time to harden." This
indicates that hardened icing prevented the higher tiers from sinking.

READING PASSAGE 3: Flying the Coast

Questions 1-6 (True/False/Not Given):
1. In the 1930s the Coast and Fiordland had populations of a similar size.
o Answer: FALSE
o Explanation: The passage contrasts the Coast as habitable and rich with Fiordland, which was
and still is uninhabitable wilderness, implying the populations were not similar in size.
2. Most settlers on the Coast were migrants from overseas.
o Answer: NOT GIVEN
o Explanation: The passage does not provide any information regarding whether the settlers on the
Coast were migrants from overseas.
3. The coast's geographical features made moving around the region difficult.
o Answer: TRUE
o Explanation: The passage describes the mountains, gorges, glaciers, rivers, and headlands that
required long detours and careful timing, indicating that the geographical features made movement
difficult.
4. The first bridges to be built on the Coast were swept away by floods.
o Answer: NOT GIVEN
o Explanation: The passage mentions the scarcity of bridges but does not state that any bridges
were swept away by floods.
5. Maurice Buckley flew his Avro biplane to the Coast in 1923.
o Answer: FALSE
o Explanation: The passage says: "Maurice Buckley... bought an Avro biplane on the east coast
which he transported across the country by rail, wings off, before reassembling it in a local
garage." This shows he did not fly the plane to the Coast.
6. Coasters were unwilling to fly at first.
o Answer: FALSE
o Explanation: The passage says: "The colourful Avro was an instant crowd-pleaser and Coasters
queued up for joyrides." This indicates that the Coasters were eager to fly.
Questions 7-13 (Complete the Notes):
7. Answer: luxury
o Explanation: The passage describes the Fox Moth as a plane that "offered considerable luxury"
compared to other planes of the day.
8. Answer: mail
o Explanation: The passage states: "Mercer’s company started a regular delivery of mail" alongside
passengers in 1934.
9. Answer: beaches
o Explanation: The passage explains that planes landed on remote beaches to pick up fresh produce
like whitebait.
10. Answer: subsidy
 Explanation: The passage mentions that Mercer's airline received "a government-issued subsidy" which
allowed it to expand.
11. Answer: pilots
 Explanation: The passage says: "In time though this presented Mercer with a pressing issue: with so
many now joining the Air Force he no longer had enough pilots."
12. Answer: cargo
 Explanation: The passage mentions that there were disputes about "the amount of cargo" being carried on
the planes.
13. Answer: helicopters
 Explanation: The passage concludes that "helicopters...quickly took over the vast majority of the local air
transport business," leading to the airline's decline.
Passage 1 Bamboo, A Wonder Plant 2

SECTION 1
READING PASSAGE 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on Question 1-14 which are based on Reading
Passage 1 below.

Bamboo, A Wonder Plant 2

Bamboo is used for a wide range of purposes, but now it seems it may be under threat.
A
Every year, during the rainy season, the mountain gorillas of central Africa migrate to
the lower slopes of the Virunga Mountains to graze on bamboo. For the 650 or so that
remain in the wild, it's a vital food source. Without it, says Ian Redmond, chairman of
the Ape Alliance, their chances of survival would be reduced significantly.
Gorillas aren't the only local keen on bamboo. For the people who live close to the
Virungas, it’s a valuable and versatile raw material. But in the past 100 years or so,
resources have come under increasing pressure as populations have exploded and large
areas of bamboo forest have been cleared to make way for commercial plantations.
Sadly, this isn’t an isolated story. All over the world, the ranges of many bamboo
species appear to be shrinking, endangering the people and animals that depend upon
them.
B
Despite bamboo's importance, we know surprisingly little about it. A recent report
published by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Network
for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR) has revealed just how profound our ignorance of global
bamboo resources is, particularly in relation to conservation.
There are almost 1,600 recognised species of bamboo, but the report concentrated on
the 1,200 or so woody varieties distinguished by the strong stems, or 'culms', that most
people associate with this versatile plant. Of these, only 38 'priority species’ identified
for their commercial value have been the subject of any real scientific research to date.
This problem isn't confined to bamboo. Compared to the work carried out on animals,
the science of assessing the conservation status of plants is still in its infancy. 'People
have only started looking at this during the past 10-15 years, and only now are they
understanding how to go about it systematically,' says Dr Valerie Kapos, one of the
report's authors.
C

1
Passage 1 Bamboo, A Wonder Plant 2

Bamboo tends to grow in 'stands' (or groups) made up of individual plants that grow
from roots known as rhizomes. It is the world's fastest-growing woody plant and some
species grow over a meter in one day. But the plant's ecological role extends beyond
providing food for wildlife. Its rhizome systems, which lie in the top layers of the soil,
are crucial in preventing soil erosion. And there is growing evidence that bamboo plays
an important part in determining forest structure and dynamics. 'Bamboo's pattern of
mass flowering and mass death leaves behind large areas of dry biomass that attract
wildfire/ says Kapos. ‘When these bum, they create patches of open ground far bigger
than would be left by a fallen tree. Patchiness helps to preserve diversity because
certain plant species do better during the early stages of regeneration when there are
gaps in the canopy.’
D
However, bamboo’s most immediate significance lies in its economic value. Many
countries, particularly in Asia, are involved in the trade of bamboo products. Modern
processing techniques mean it can be used in a variety of ways, for example as flooring
and laminates. Traditionally it is used in construction, but one of the fastest growing
bamboo products is paper -25 per cent of paper produced in India is made from
bamboo fibre.
Of course, bamboo's main function has always been in domestic applications, and as a
locally traded product, it is worth about US$4,5 billion annually. Bamboo is often the
only readily available raw material for people in many developing countries, says Chris
Stapleton, a research associate at the UK's Royal Botanic Gardens. ‘Bamboo can be
harvested from forest areas or grown quickly elsewhere, and then converted simply
without expensive machinery or facilities,’ he says, ‘In this way, it contributes
substantially to poverty alleviation.'

Keen horticulturists will spot an apparent contradiction in the worrying picture painted
by the UNEP-INBAR report. Those in the West who've followed the recent vogue for
cultivating exotic species in their gardens will point out that, if it isn't kept in check,
bamboo can cause real problems. ‘In a lot of places, the people who live with bamboo
don’t perceive it as being under threat in any way,’ says Kapos. ‘In fact, a lot of bamboo
species are very invasive if they've been introduced.' So why are so many species
endangered?

There are two separate issues here, says Ray Townsend, arboretum manager at the
Royal Botanic Gardens. 'Some plants are threatened because they can’t survive in the
habitat - they aren’t strong enough or there aren't enough of them, perhaps. But

2
Passage 1 Bamboo, A Wonder Plant 2

bamboo can take care of itself - it's strong enough to survive if left alone. What is under
threat is its habitat. When forest goes, it’s converted into something else: then there
isn't anywhere for forest plants such as bamboo to grow.'

Around the world, bamboo species are routinely protected as part of the forest
ecosystem in national parks and reserves, but there is next to nothing that protects
bamboo in the wild for its own sake. The UNEP-1NBAR report will help conservationists
to establish effective measures aimed at protecting valuable wild bamboo species.

Townsend, too, sees the UNEP-INBAR report as an important step forward in promoting
the cause of bamboo conservation. 'Until now, bamboo has been perceived as a second-
class plant. When you talk about places like the Amazon, everyone always thinks about
hardwoods. Of course, these are significant but there’s a tendency to overlook the
plants they are associated with, which are often bamboo species.'

Questions 1-7

Reading Passage 1 has six sections, A-F.

Which section contains the following information?

Write the correct letter, A-F, in boxes 1-7 on your answer sheet.

NB You may use any letter more than once.

1 an assessment of current levels of knowledge about bamboo

2 a comparison between bamboo and more fragile plants

3 details of the commercial significance of bamboo

4 a human development that is threatening the availability of bamboo

5 a description of the limited extent of existing research on bamboo

6 examples of the uses to which bamboo is put

7 an explanation of how bamboo may contribute to the survival of range of plants

3
Passage 1 Bamboo, A Wonder Plant 2

Questions 8-11

Look at the following statements (Questions 8-11) and the list of people below.

Match each statement with the correct person, A-D.

Write the correct letter, A-D, in boxes 9-11 on your answer sheet.

NB You may use any letter more than once.

8 Some people do not regard bamboo as an endangered plant species.

9 A scarcity of bamboo places certain wildlife under threat.

10 Research methods investigating endangered plants have yet to be fully developed

11 The greatest danger to bamboo is a disturbance of the places it grows in.

List of People

A Ian Redmond

B Valerie Kapos

C Chris Stapleton

D Ray Townsend

Questions 12 and 13

Answer the questions below.

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

Write your answers in boxes 12 and 13 on your answer sheet.

12 What ecological problem do the roots of bamboo help to control?

13 Which bamboo product is undergoing market expansion?

4
Passage 1 Bamboo, A Wonder Plant 2

ANSWER

1. B
2. E
3. D
4. A
5. B
6. D
7. C
8. B
9. A
10. B
11. D
12. Soil erosion
13. paper

5
Passage 3 Elephant Communication

SECTION 3
READING PASSAGE 3
You should spend about 20 minutes on Question 28-40 which are based on Reading
Passage 3 below.

Elephant Communication

O’ Connell-Rodwell, a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University, has travelled to

Namibia’s first-ever wildlife reserve to explore the mystical and complicated realm of
elephant communication. She, along with her colleagues, is part of a scientific revolution
that started almost 20 years ago. This revolution has made a stunning revelation:
elephants are capable of communicating with each other over long distances with low-
frequency sounds, also known as infrasounds, which are too deep for humans to hear.
As might be expected, African elephants able to detect seismic sound may have
something to do with their ears. The hammer bone in an elephant’s inner ear is
proportionally huge for a mammal, but it is rather normal for animals that use
vibrational signals. Thus, it may be a sign that suggests elephants can use seismic sounds
to communicate.
Other aspects of elephant anatomy also support that ability. First, their massive bodies,
which enable them to give out low-frequency sounds almost as powerful as the sound a
jet makes during takeoff, serve as ideal frames for receiving ground vibrations and
transmitting them to the inner ear. Second, the elephant’s toe bones are set on a fatty
pad, which might be of help when focusing vibrations from the ground into the bone.
Finally, the elephant has an enormous brain that sits in the cranial cavity behind the
eyes in line with the auditory canal. The front of the skull is riddled with sinus cavities,
which might function as resonating chambers for ground vibrations.
It remains unclear how the elephants detect such vibrations, but O’ Connell-Rodwell
raises a point that the pachyderms are ‘listening’ with their trunks and feet instead of
their ears. The elephant trunk may just be the most versatile appendage in nature. Its
utilization encompasses drinking, bathing, smelling, feeding and scratching. Both trunk
and feet contain two types of nerve endings that are sensitive to pressure – one detects
infrasonic vibration, and another responds to vibrations higher in frequencies. As O’
Connell-Rodwell sees, this research has a boundless and unpredictable future. ‘Our work

1
Passage 3 Elephant Communication

is really interfaced of geophysics, neurophysiology and ecology,’ she says. ‘We’re raising
questions that have never even been considered before.’
It has been well-known to scientists that seismic communication is widely observed
among small animals, such as spiders, scorpions, insects and quite a lot of vertebrate
species like white-lipped frogs, blind mole rats, kangaroo rats and golden moles.
Nevertheless, O’Connell-Rodwell first argued that a giant land animal is also sending and
receiving seismic signals. ‘I used to lay a male planthopper on a stem and replay the
calling sound of a female, and then the male one would exhibit the same kind of
behaviour that happens in elephants—he would freeze, then press down on his legs,
move forward a little, then stay still again. I find it so fascinating, and it got me thinking
that perhaps auditory communication is not the only thing that is going on.’
Scientists have confirmed that an elephant’s capacity to communicate over long
distance is essential for survival, especially in places like Etosha, where more than 2,400
savanna elephants range over a land bigger than New Jersey. It is already difficult for an
elephant to find a mate in such a vast wild land, and the elephant reproductive biology
only complicates it. Breeding herds also adopt low-frequency sounds to send alerts
regarding predators. Even though grown-up elephants have no enemies else than
human beings, baby elephants are vulnerable and are susceptible to lions and hyenas
attack. At the sight of a predator, older ones in the herd will clump together to form
protection before running away.
We now know that elephants can respond to warning calls in the air, but can they
detect signals transmitted solely through the ground? To look into that matter, the
research team designed an experiment in 2002, which used electronic devices that
enabled them to give out signals through the ground at Mushara. ‘The outcomes of our
2002 study revealed that elephants could indeed sense warning signals through the
ground,’ O’Connell-Rodwell observes.
Last year, an experiment was set up in the hope of solving that problem. It used three
different recordings—the 1994 warning call from Mushara, an anti-predator call
recorded by scientist Joyce Poole in Kenya and a made-up warble tone. ‘The data I’ve
observed to this point implies that the elephants were responding the way I always
expected. However, the fascinating finding is that the anti-predator call from Kenya,
which is unfamiliar to them, caused them to gather around, tense up and rumble
aggressively as well—but they didn’t always flee. I didn’t expect the results to be that
clear-cut.’

2
Passage 3 Elephant Communication

Questions 28-31
Label the diagram below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 28-31 on your answer sheet.

Questions 32-38
Complete the summary below.
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 32-38 on your answer sheet.

3
Passage 3 Elephant Communication

How the elephants sense these sound vibrations is still unknown, but O’Connell-
Rodwell, a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford University, proposes that elephants are
‘listening’ with their 32…………………….. by two kinds of nerve endings that respond to
vibrations with both 33…………………….. frequency and slightly higher frequencies.
O’Connell-Rodwell's work is at the combination of geophysics, neurophysiology and
34………………………. It was known that seismic communication existed extensively within
small animals, but O’Connell-Rodwell was the first person to indicate that a large land
animal would send and receive 35………………………. too. Also, he noticed the freezing
behaviour by putting a male planthopper on a stem and play back a female call, which
might prove the existence of other communicative approaches besides
36……………………... Scientists have determined that an elephant’s ability to communicate
over long distances is essential, especially, when elephant herds are finding a
37………………………, or are warning of predators. Finally, the results of our 2002 study
showed us that elephants could detect warning calls through the 38…………………………

Questions 39-40
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D
Write the correct letter in boxes 39-40 on your answer sheet.
39 According to the passage, it is determined that an elephant needs to communicate
over long distances for its survival
A when a threatening predator appears.
B when young elephants meet humans.
C when older members of the herd want to flee from the group.
D when a male elephant is in estrus.
40 What is the author’s attitude toward the experiment by using three different
recordings in the last paragraph?
A The outcome is definitely out of the original expectation.
B The data cannot be very clearly obtained.
C The result can be somewhat undecided or inaccurate.
D The result can be unfamiliar to the public.

4
Passage 3 Elephant Communication

ANSWER

28. hammer
29. body
30. pad(s)
31. sinus cavities
32. trunks and feet
33. infrasonic/low
34. ecology
35. seismic signals
36. auditory communication
37. mate
38. ground
39. A
40. C

5
READING PASSAGE 3
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27-40, which are based on Reading
Passages 3 on pages 8 and 9.

The art of deception

Do tiny changes of facial expression show whether someone is telling lies?
Forty years ago, the research psychologist Dr Paul Ekman was addressing a group of young
psychiatrists in training when he was asked a question, the answer to which has kept him busy
ever since. Suppose, the group wanted to know, a particular patient swears they are telling the
truth. They look and sound sincere. So here is the question: is there any way you can be sure
they are telling the truth? Ekman did not know the answer then, but wanted to find out.
As part of his research, he had already filmed a series of 12-minute interviews with psychiatric
patients. In a subsequent conversation, one of the patients told hint that she had lies to him. So
Ekman sat and looked at the film but saw nothing noteworthy. Then he slowed it down and
looked again. Then he slowed it even further. And suddenly, there, across just two frames of
the film, he saw it: an intense expression of extreme anguish. It lasted less than a 15th of a
second, but once he had spotted the first expression, he soon found three more examples in
that same interview. He termed his discovery ‘micro-expressions’ : very rapid, intense
demonstrations of emotion that the subject intended to be concealed.
Over the course of the next four decades, Ekman successfully demonstrated a proposition first
suggested by Charles Darwin: that the ways in which we express rage, disgust, contempt, fear,
surprise, happiness and sadness are universal. The facial muscles triggered by those seven
basic emotions are, he has shown, essentially standard, regardless of language and culture,
from the US to Japan, and Brazil to Papua New Guinea. What is more, expressions of emotion
are impossible to suppress and, particularly when we are lying, micro-expressions of
powerfully felt emotions will inevitably flit across our faces before we get the chance to stop
them.
Fortunately for liars, most people will fail to spot these fleeting signals of inner torment. Of
the l5,000 Ekman has tested, only 50 people, whom he calls ‘naturals’, have been able to do it.
But given a little more training, Ekman says, almost anyone can develop the skill. He should
know: since these tests were completed in the mid-1980s and the first publication of his
research, he has been called in by the FBI and CIA (among countless more law- enforcement
and other agencies around the world), not just to solve cases, but to teach them how to use his
technique for themselves. He has held workshops for defence and prosecution lawyers, health
professionals, even jealous spouses, all of them wanting to know exactly when someone is not
being 100 per cent candid.
Most recently, Ekman’s research has resulted in a new television series about the exploits of
the fictional Dr Cal Lightman, a scientist who studies involuntary body language to discover
not only if you are lying, but why you might have been motivated to do so. According to the
publicity blurb, Lightman is a ‘human lie detector’, even more accurate than a polygraph test.
Ekman concedes he was sceptical when the producer first approached him with the idea of
turning his life's work into a TV series, and initially would have stopped the project if he
could. In particular, he was fearful that the show would exaggerate the effectiveness of his
techniques and create the quite inaccurate impression among audiences that criminals could no
longer hope to get away with lying. In the worst can scenario, he was concerned about unfair
convictions: that one day someone nut properly trained in his techniques might be sitting on a
jury and wrongly find someone guilty of I crime simply on the basis of a television
programme.
In the end though, he was won over because the series is unusual in several respects. It is the
first time, as far as Ekman is aware, than commercial TV drama has been based on the work of
just one scientist. That scientist is also deeply involved in the project, talking through plot
ideas and checking five successive drafts of each script to ensure details arc correct. He was
also impressed with the producer’s manifestly serious and well-intentioned reasons for making
the programme. Now that the first series has been completed, he believes probably 80-90 per
cent of the show is based on fact, and that's good enough for what is, after all, a drama, not a
documentary.
Ekman, incidentally, professes to have been a terrible liar ever since he was a small boy and
observes that the ability to detect a lie and the ability to lie successfully arc completely
unrelated. He has been asked by people running for high office if he could teach them to
become ‘more credible’ with the public, but has always refused to use his skills in that way on
ethical grounds. He also insists that there are various kinds of lies. A 'true' lie can be identified
by having two essential characteristics: there must be a deliberate intent to mislead and there
must be no notification that this is what is occurring. This means that an actor or a poker
player isn't a true liar. They're supposed to be deceiving you, it's part of the game, and the
same is true of flattery. lie prefers to focus on the kinds of lies where the liar would be in
grave trouble if they were found out, and where the target would feel properly aggrieved if
they knew.
Questions 27 - 31

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

Write the correct letter in boxers 27-31 on your answer sheet.
27 According to the writer, Ekman became interested in lying after a question from his
A peers.
B patients.
C students.
D teachers.
28 The writer refers to the 12-minute interviews in order to
A illustrate how frequently patients lie.
B describe the origins of Ekman's theories.
C compare Ekman's research to previous studies.
D show how patients' behaviour is affected by filming.
29 What is the writers point in the third paragraph?
A Micro-expressions are common to all people.
B Recent research has refuted an old idea.
C With practice we can learn to control our micro-expressions.
D Human society is too complex to allow for generalisations.
30 What are we told about Ekman's conclusions from his tests?
A It's natural for people to lie.
B Few untrained people can detect lying.
C Most liars suffer from periods of depression.
D All of his subjects were trained to identify micro-expressions.
31 What point does the writer make about Ekman's techniques in the fourth paragraph?
A They take decades to teach.
B They have been in great demand.
C They have aroused the suspicions of some agencies.
D They can be used by a limited range of occupations.
Complete the summary using the list of words, A-I, below.
Write the correct letter, A-I, in boxes 32-36 on your answer sheet.

The television series based on Ekman’s work

A new TV series based on Ekman's work features a hero named Lightman, who detects lies.
Initially, Ekman was unenthusiastic about the TV project, because he feared the possibility
of
encouraging viewers' 32 ....................... For example, he was worried that one day the
programme could result in 33 ...................... not being carried out. Ultimately though, he has
given the show his blessing because he is not aware of any other comparable programme
based on a single person's 34 ....................... The 35 ...........................of the show's producer
have been another pleasant surprise and, considering the genre of the programme, Ekman is
happy with the show's overall 36 .........................

A consequences B crimes C false beliefs

D motives E justice F accuracy
G acting H research I ratings

Questions 37 - 40
Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage 3?
In boxes 37-40 on your answer sheet, write
YES if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer
NO if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this
37 Ekman regrets the lies he told as a child.
38 People who are good at lying tend to be good at detecting lies.
39 Ekman has worked with poker players to help them lie more convincingly.
40 Ekman is more interested in the types of lies with serious consequences.
28.B
29.A
30.D
31.D
32.C
33.G
34.H
35.D
36.I
37.NOT GIVEN
38.NO
39.NOT GIVEN
40. YES
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.
The Slow Food Organization
Taking time with food
Slow Food began when Carlo Petrini, an Italian journalist, was dismayed by the opening of a fast
food restaurant on the famous Piazza di Spagna in Rome. He decided it was time to celebrate the
fast-disappearing virtues of the slow production, preparation and eating of food.What he had in
mind when he began the Slow Food organization were local foods which were prepared in their
traditional manner and eaten at leisurely meals with family and friends. Slow Food is the
antithesis of everything fast food stands for, and it is now a thriving international organization
with members in 45 countries, a successful publishing operation and a biannual trade show. In
addition, Slow Food has launched a project called the 'Ark of Taste' and a concept called
'virtuous globalization'.
The Ark of Taste is the catalog of endangered food plant and animal species that Slow Food has
resolved to protect against the rising global tide of fast food.Some examples of the biodiversity
promoted by the Ark of Taste include Iroquois white corn and the Narragansett turkey, both of
which are old, or heritage, foods in North America. Biodiversity is a term commonly associated
with discussions of threats to wild species, but according to Slow Food the biodiversity of the
domesticated species people have depended on for centuries is no less important. For example,
when the latest patented hybrid variety of plant proves unable to withstand fungal or bacterial
disease, plant breeders will need the disease-resistant genes which can be obtained from heritage
plant varieties. If Iroquois white corn had fallen out of production, as it very nearly did two
decades ago due to the commercial launch of a new hybrid corn, irreplaceable and possibly
crucial sets of corn genes would have been lost forever.
For some time, plant-saver groups have been preserving heritage plant varieties, but Slow Food
takes that project a step further. The movement understands that all the food and plant species in
its Ark of Taste carry not only information about genetic traits but they also embody a set of
social practices, and in some cases even a way of life of previous generations. Slow Food teaches
that when a variety of food or breed of animal disappears, something greater also disappears: a
specific, irreplaceable mode of life that a particular people have devised for living in a particular
part of the Earth. An example of this is the Iroquois white corn. By working to find new markets
for this ancient variety of corn, Slow Food is ensuring a source of income for the Native
Americans who grow, roast, and grind this corn and, at the same time, helping to preserve the
specific cookery and religious uses that the corn has been selected to support over hundreds of
years.
Slow Food has moved away from the traditional locations for preserving rare animal and plant
species. For example, instead of zoos for rare animals and botanic gardens for rare plants, Slow
Food maintains that its plants and animals are best preserved on the dishes and plates of
discerning customers. To this end, Slow Food has introduced the concept of virtuous
globalization, which recognizes that the best way to ensure a safe future for distinctive local
products and practices is to find a global market for them. In this way, local producers will be
able to continue producing the food which for many years has been a defining factor of their
cultural identity. The characteristics of the virtuous globalization of Slow Foods show how
different the concept is from the globalization of fast foods. Whereas global fast food companies
aim to sell food that has an unchanging taste wherever in the world it is eaten, the taste of a
recognized Slow Food is unique to that food. Another aspect is the quantities sold of these two
types of food. In the case of fast food, these are enormous, but the quantities of Slow Food
products which are available for selling are limited, due to the rarity of the plants or animals. The
customers of virtuous globalization Slow Foods are affluent people who value novelty and are
undeterred by the costs, which are high when compared to fast food.
Some years ago, a network of farmers in the USA volunteered to take part in a national Slow
Food project. The project was for the farmers to raise a total of 5,000 turkeys from eggs which
had been selected from four varieties of endangered turkey. The farmers had to begin by
hatching the eggs they had been supplied with, then raising the young turkeys to adults. They
were promised a guaranteed price per pound for the adult turkeys. The object of the enterprise
was to raise heritage turkeys for the North American holiday of Thanksgiving. Although chefs in
some restaurants where the turkeys were on the menu complained that the Slow Food turkeys
were smaller than industrially produced turkeys, the distinctive flavors were very well received
by consumers. By the following year, the world population of these turkeys had nearly doubled.
It may seem strange that taking pleasure in eating could be a strategy for preserving biodiversity
because pleasure is not normally associated with environmentalism. However, pleasure is part of
what Slow Food aims to bring back, by demonstrating that, at least when it comes to the politics
of food, the best choice is often the one that provides the most enjoyment.
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 The Ark of Taste lists food plant and animal species in danger of extinction.
2 Slow Food considers the term biodiversity should be restricted to wild species.
3 The genes of heritage plants may be of vital importance to modern plant breeders.
4 Countries can sell the genes of their heritage plant varieties internationally.
5 Slow Food maintains that food and culture exist independently of each other.
6 Some Native Americans are now giving cookery classes featuring Iroquois white corn.
Questions 7 - 9
Complete the table below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 7-9 on your answer sheet.
Taste Quantities sold Cost
Slow Foods 7............. 8.............. high
Fast Food 9............. enomous low

Questions 10 - 13
Answer the questions below.
Choose ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 10-13 on your answer sheet.
10 What were farmers in the USA given so that they could raise endangered turkeys?
11 How many varieties of endangered turkey benefited from the project?
12 Who was not happy with the size of the turkeys?
13 Who liked the taste of the endangered turkeys?
The Slow Food Organization

1. True

2. False

3. True

4. Not given

5. False

6. Not given

7. Unique

8. Limited

9. Unchanging

10. Eggs

11. 4

12. Chefs

13. Consumers
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.

Listening to the Ocean

The results of some recent research answer some long-standing questions

A The oceans cover more than 70 per cent of the planet's surface, yet until quite recently we
knew less about their depths than about the surface of the Moon. The Moon has been far more
accessible to study because astronomers have long been able to look at its surface, first with the naked
eye and then with the telescope, both instruments that focus light. Until the twentieth century,
however, no instruments were available for the study of Earth's oceans: light, which can travel trillions
of kilometers through the vast vacuum of space, cannot penetrate very far in seawater.

B It turns out that for penetrating water the best instrument is sound. Curious investigators have
long been fascinated by sound and the way it travels in water. As early as 1490, the artist and scientist
Leonardo da Vinci observed: If you cause your ship to stop and place the head of a long tube in the
water and place the outer extremity to your ear, you will hear ships at a great distance from you.' It was
not until 1826 that two scientists, Colladon and Sturm, accurately measured the speed of sound in
water. Using a long tube to listen under water (as da Vinci had suggested), they recorded how fast the
sound of a submerged bell traveled across Lake Geneva in Switzerland. What these investigators
demonstrated was that water is an excellent medium for sound, transmitting it almost five times faster
than its speed in air.

C A number of factors influence how far sound travels under water and how long it lasts,
including particles, salinity, temperature and pressure. Particles in seawater can reflect, scatter and
absorb certain frequencies of sound, just as certain wavelengths of light may be reflected, scattered and
absorbed by specific types of particles in the atmosphere. In 1943, Maurice Ewing and J L Worzel
conducted an experiment to test the theory that low- frequency waves, which are less vulnerable than
higher frequencies to scattering and absorption, should be able to travel great distances, if the sound
source is placed correctly. The researchers set off an underwater explosion and learned that it was
detected easily by receivers 3,200 kilometers away.In analyzing the results of this test, they discovered a
kind of sound pipeline', known as the deep sound channel'. Sound introduced into this channel of water
could travel thousands of kilometers with minimal loss of signal.

D The US Navy was quick to appreciate the usefulness of low-frequency sound and the deep
sound channel. They developed the Sound Surveillance System (SOSUS), which involved underwater
microphones, called hydrophones, that were placed on the ocean bottom and connected by cables to
onshore processing centers. It was Christopher Clark of Cornell University who soon realised that SOSUS
could be used to listen to whales.
Using a SOSUS receiver in the West Indies, he could hear whales that were 1,770 kilometers away.

E Whales are the biggest of Earth's creatures, yet these animals are r also remarkably elusive.
Scientists wishing to observe blue whales must simply wait in their ships for the whales to surface. A few
whales have been tracked briefly in the wild in this way but not for very great distances, and much
about them remains unknown. But by using SOSUS, scientists can track the whales and position them on
a map. Moreover, they can track not just one whale at a time, but many creatures simultaneously. They
can also learn to distinguish whale calls; researchers have detected changes in the calls of finback
whales as the seasons change, and have found that blue whales in different regions of the Pacific Ocean
have different calls.

F SOSUS has also proved instrumental in obtaining information crucial to our understanding of
climate. The system has enabled researchers to begin making ocean temperature measurements on a
global scale, measurements that are key to understanding the workings of heat transfer between the
ocean and the atmosphere. The ocean plays an enormous role in determining air temperature - the heat
capacity in only the upper few meters of ocean is thought to be equal to all of the heat in the entire
atmosphere. For sound waves traveling horizontally in the ocean, speed is largely a function of
temperature. Thus, the travel time of a wave of sound between two points is a sensitive indicator of the
average temperature along its path. Transmitting sound in numerous directions through the deep sound
channel can give scientists measurements spanning vast areas of the globe. Thousands of sound paths in
the ocean can be pieced together into a map of global ocean temperatures, and by repeating
measurements along the same paths over time, scientists can track changes in temperature over
months or years.

G Researchers are also using other acoustic techniques to monitor climate. Oceanographer Jeff
Nystuen, for example, has explored the use of sound to measure rainfall over the ocean. Monitoring
changing global rainfall patterns will contribute to understanding major climate change as well as the
weather phenomenon known as El Niño. Since 1985, Nystuen has used hydrophones to listen to rain
over the ocean, acoustically measuring not only the rainfall rate but also the rainfall type, ranging from
drizzle to thunderstorms. By using the sound of rain under water as a 'natural' rain gauge, the
measurement of rainfall over the oceans will become available to climatologists. In this way, modern
society continues to benefit from the investigations of those who, like Leonardo da Vinci, pursued the
answers to some basic questions of nature.

Questions 1 – 4
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?

In boxes 1-4 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 In the past, it was easier for scientists to study the Moon than the oceans.
2 Techniques for investigating the Moon are the same as techniques for researching the ocean.
3 Measuring temperature changes in the ocean using sound is more time-consuming than other
methods
4 Hydrophones can distinguish different kinds of rain.

Questions 5 – 8

Reading Passage 1 has seven paragraphs, A-G.

Which paragraph contains the following information?

Write the correct letter, A-G, in boxes 5-8 on your answer sheet.

NB You may use any letter more than once.

5 examples of things that affect the distance sound can travel in water
6 details of the connection between ocean temperatures and climate
7 details of ways in which light and sound are similar
8 reference to a long-term study of different types of weather

Questions 9 – 13
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

Write the correct letter in boxes 9-13 on your answer sheet.

9 According to the passage, who conducted research into the rate at which sound travels in
water?
A Leonardo da Vinci
B Colladon and Sturm
C Ewing and Worzel
D Jeff Nystuen
10 According to the passage, who conducted research into the distances certain types of sound
waves travel in water?
A Leonardo da Vinci
B Colladon and Sturm
C Ewing and Worzel
D Christopher Clark
11 SOSUS allows whale researchers to
A follow a number of whales at the same time.
B protect whales as they migrate.
C imitate whale calls of different species.
D change the whales' direction of travel.
12 Finback whale calls change
A when scientists track them.
B at different times of year.
C when whales communicate with other species.
D when whales come to the surface.

13 SOSUS allows scientists to

A make accurate maps of the ocean floor.
B measure water level changes.
C investigate ocean currents.
D measure variations in temperature.
1. TRUE

2. FALSE

3. NOT GIVEN

4. TRUE

5. C

6. F

7. C

8. G

9. B

10. C

11. A

12. B

13. D
 A new look for Talbot Park
Talbot Park, a housing project in Auckland, New Zealand, was once
described as a ghetto, troubled by high rates of crime and vandalism.
However, it has just been rebuilt at a cost of $48m and the project
reflects some new thinking about urban design
A. The new Talbot Park is community began to change in the
immediately eye-catching because late 1970s as more immigrants
the buildings look quite different to moved in. The new arrivals didn’t
other state housing* projects in always integrate with the
Auckland. ‘There is no reason why community and a ‘them and us’
state housing should look cheap in mentality developed. In the
my view,’ says architect Neil process, standards dropped and the
Cotton, one of the design team. ‘In neighbourhood began to look
fact, I was anticipating a backlash shabbier. The buildings themselves
by those who objected to the were also deteriorating and
quality of what is provided with becoming run down, petty crime
government money.’ The tidy brick was on the rise and the garden was
and wood apartments and considered unsafe. In 2002,
townhouses would not look out of Housing New Zealand decided the
place in some of the city’s most properties needed upgrading. The
affluent suburbs and this is a question was, how to avoid
central theme of the Talbot Park repeating the mistakes of the past?
philosophy. D. One controversial aspect of the
B. Talbot Park is a triangle of upgrade is that the new
government-owned land, which in development has actually made the
the early 1960s was developed for density of housing in Talbot Park
state housing built around a linear greater, putting 52 more homes on
garden that ran through the middle. the same site. Doing this required a
Initially, there was a strong sense fresh approach that can be summed
of neighbourliness. Former up as ‘mix and match’. The first
residents recall how the garden priority was to mix up the housing
played a big part in their by employing a variety of plans by
childhoods – a place where kids different architects: some of the
came together to play softball, accommodation is free-standing
cricket and bullrush. ‘We had houses, some semi-detached, some
respect for our neighbours and low level, multi-apartment blocks.
addressed them by title – Mr and By doing this, the development
Mrs so-and-so,’ recalls Georgie avoids the uniform appearance of
Thompson, who grew up there in so many state housing projects,
the 1960s. which residents complain denies
C. Exactly what went wrong with them any sense of individual
Talbot Park is unclear. The identity. The next goal was to

*
state housing: government subsidised
accommodation for people who cannot pay market
rents
 prevent overspending by using nationally) and 17% private rental.
efficient designs to maximise the The area has a high density of
sense of space from minimum households with incomes in the
room sizes. There was also a no- $5,000 to $15,000 range and very
frills, industrial approach to few with an income over $70,000.
kitchens, bathrooms and flooring, That’s in sharp contrast to the more
to optimise durability and ensure affluent suburbs in Auckland.
the project did not go over budget. G. Another important part of the new
Architecturally, the buildings are development is what Housing New
relatively conservative: fairly plain Zealand calls ‘intensive tenancy
houses standing in a small garden. management’. Opponents of the
There’s a slight reflection of the project call it social control. ‘The
traditional Pacific beach house (a focus is on frequent inspections and
tale) but it’s not overplayed. ‘It setting clear guidelines and
seems to us that low-cost housing is boundaries regarding the sort of
about getting as much amenity as behaviour we expect from tenants,’
you can for the money,’ says says Graham Bodman, Housing
architect Michael Thompson. New Zealand’s regional manager.
Another key aspect of the ‘mix and The result is a code of sometimes
match’ approach is openness: one strict rules: no loud parties after
that not only lets residents see what 10pm; no washing hung over
is going on but also lets them know balcony rails and a requirement to
they are seen. The plan ensures mow lawns and keep the property
there are no cul-de-sacs or tidy. The Tenancy Manager walks
properties hidden from view, that the site every day, knows everyone
the gardens are not enclosed by by name and deals with problems
trees and that most boundary fences quickly. ‘It’s all based on the
are see-through – a community intensification,’ says project
contained but without walls. manager Stuart Bracey. ‘We
E. The population today is acknowledge that if you are going
cosmopolitan: 50% Pacific to ask people to live in these quite
Islanders, 20% Maori, 15% Asian, tightly-packed communities, you
10% New Zealand European and have to actually help them to get to
the rest composed of immigrants know each other by organising
from Russia, Ukraine and Iran. ‘It morning teas and street barbecues.’
was important that the buildings So far it seems to be working and
were sufficiently flexible to cater many involved in the project
for the needs of people from a wide believe Talbot Park represents the
variety of cultural backgrounds,’ way forward for state housing.
explains designer James Lundy.
F. Despite the quality of the buildings,
however, there should be no doubt
that Talbot Park and its
surrounding suburb of Tamaki are
low socio-economic areas. Of the
5,000 houses there, 55% are state
houses, 28% privately owned
(compared to about 65%
Questions 21 – 23
Look at the following people (Questions 21-23) end the list of ideas
below. Match each person with the correct idea, A-F.
Write the correct letter, A-F, in boxes 21-23 on your answer sheet.
15 James Lundy
16 Graham Rodman
17 Stuart Bracey

List of Ideas

A Good tenant management involves supervision and regulation. B

State housing must be built at minimum expense to the public. C
Organising social events helps tenants to live close together.
D Mixed-race communities require adaptable and responsive designs.
E Complaints were expected about the high standard of the development.
F Too many rules and regulations will cause resentment from tenants.

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.
The 'mix and match' strategy

One aspect of the Talbot Park project that some critics are concerned about is that the higher
18 of accommodation would lead to the old social problems returning. To prevent this, a
team of various 25 ..............................................worked on the project to ensure the
buildings
were not uniform. Further, they created pleasant, functional interiors that could still be
built within their 26 ................ Finally, the absence of walls means Talbot Park is
characterised by openness, making it easier to regulate behaviour within the community.
A new look for Talbot Park
14 iv
15 ix
16 i
17 x
18 iii
19 v
20 vii
21 D
22 A
23 C
24 Density
25 Architects
26 Budget
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.
Conformity
A review of conformity and some of the studies that have been done on it
During your childhood, there will have been some kind of craze which affected all the people in your
school. It may have been to do with a particular toy or possibly a must-have item of clothing. It may have
been something as simple as a type of pen or as expensive as an electronic games console. Fashion
designers, toy manufacturers and anyone else involved in the retail bade love conformity. Set up a craze,
especially in the young, and everyone will go for it. In fact, it’s an ideal way to sell huge quantities of
merchandise. The levels of conformity in consumerism are phenomenal. When you actually stand back
and consider how easily we are persuaded that having certain items is the only way we can ensure peace
of mind, you see what an important concept conformity is.
Conformity has been described as ‘yielding to group pressure’ (Crutchfield, 1962). However, this implies
that other people put pressure on US to make US conform and this is not always the case. A better
definition is given by Aronson (1976), who said it was a ‘change in a person’s behaviour or opinions as a
result of real or imagined pressure from a person or group of people.’ This would make more sense, as
often the pressure we feel is imagined. The person or group he refers to would have to be important to US
at the time, regardless of their status.
There has been considerable research on conformity. One of the first studies looked at the answers people
gave when asked to estimate the number of beans in a bottle (Jennes, 1932). If you have ever entered a
‘guess the number' competition, you probably looked at the previous estimates made and based your
judgement on what other people had guessed. This is more or less what happened in the Jennes study.
First of all, be asked the respondents to give their own estimates, and then he asked them to decide a
group estimate. Finally, he asked them alone again and discovered that they had stayed with the group
answer.
Probably the most famous study on conformity was undertaken by Asch (1951), when he created a
situation where many of his subjects gave answers which were blatantly untrue, rather than contradict the
people they were with. He did this by getting his subject to sit round a table with six stooges (colleagues
of the experimenter) so that the subject was second to last. He showed them all a large card which had
three lines of different lengths drawn on it, labelled A, B and c. He then gave them a card with a single
line and asked them to match this in terms of length to one of the lines A, B or C.
The stooges gave untrue responses in a number of the trials and the subjects were left in the situation
where they either reported what they saw with their own eyes or conformed to the norm of the group.
When the results were assessed, Asch found that in one out of every three trials where the wrong answer
was given, the subject gave the same wrong answer as the stooges. This led to an average level of
conformity of 32 per cent. Asch interviewed his subjects after the trials to try to find out why they
conformed to an answer which was so obviously wrong. Most of them said that they did not want to cause
problems within the group, although they also reported that when they did give wrong answers it made
them anxious. (Asch found that when there was just one other person present who did not go along with
the majority, no maser how many others there were, it was sufficient to make the subject give the right
answer.)
Kelman (1953) outlined three processes which can explain social conformity. The first is compliance,
where subjects go along with the crowd to prevent any ingroup hostility of bad feeling and to maintain
group harmony. However, they do not change their own private belief. If we look back to the Asch study,
we can see that the subjects were simply complying with the demands of the experimental situation but
hadn’t actually internalised the group’s norms. They agreed in public, but dissented in private. In a
process known as internalisation, however, subjects do actually see the view of the group as the more
valid one. They may be able to do this, for example, by convincing themselves that their eyesight is poor.
Sometimes, however, subjects actually seem to change their beliefs because they want to become more
like their heroes. If they really want to become part of an ingroup, they will start to identify with that
group and take on the group’s values and beliefs, even if they are different to their own. Kelman calls this
identification. It frequently happens with teenagers who want to become more like a peer group in order
to be accepted, and suddenly seem to go against all the values and beliefs of their parents.
So why is it that we have to conform? Some people feel confident most of the time, have high self-esteem
and do not have to go along with the majority. For most of us, though, how confident we feel varies from
day to day, depending on the situation we are in, and this can influence our behaviour.
Questions 27 - 30
Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage 3? In boxes 27-30 on
your answer sheet, write
YES if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer
NO if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this
27 Childhood crazes can centre on items of any value.
28 Children are more vulnerable to crazes now Wan they used to be
29 Consumers make too many quick decisions in shops.
30 Crutchfield s definition of conformity is the most reliable
Questions 31-35
Complete the summary below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 31 -35 on your answer sheet.
Studies on conformity
In the Jennes study, people had to guess how many 31…………….. were in a container,
Jennes found that, in most cases, people opted for an estimate given by a 32……………. Asch
asked his subjects to 33…………………… line lengths. To test the extent to which people would
conform, he placed his subjects with colleagues who gave 34……………… responses. He found
that his subjects agreed with his colleagues 32% of the time, although they admitted to
feeling 35………………. about giving their answer.
Questions 36 -40
Complete the notes below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 36-40 on your answer sheet.
Kelman’s processes of social conformity
• Compliance - people support the majority view despite their own ideas
- social harmony is maintained
illustrated by the results of the research conducted by 36……………….
• 37………………majority view is considered most 38…………………..view
people persuade themselves despite their own ideas
• 39…………………. people change their ideas to those of the majority
typical of 40 …………………..