What is a wrong criteria for assessing presentation?
a) reverence to the subject
b) bring the subject to the close
c) logical structure with the sections
d) independence of research
12. Only through this approach ……………….
a) possible to gain stable points of reference for this analysis.
b) is possible to obtain new insights into the process.
c) we could completely explain the effect by modelling another way.
d) by preoccupation with explanation of a hypothesis.
13. To ……, the project is an attempt to advance our understanding of ………
a) illustrate
b) submit
c) examine
d) recapitulate
14. There seems to be no …. clear criteria for testing this hypothesis.
a) clearly
b) mainly
c) obviously
d) perfectly
15. The objective of this presentation ……………
a) Is to describe ………
b) Could advance our understanding ……..
c) Can be easily adapted for practical purposes.
d) Can enrich our knowledge in ………
16. Main methods are widely …………. in this research.
a) Got
b) Conducted
c) Performed
d) Applied
17. The available information ………….. through experiment.
a) a) were obtained
b) b) obtained
c) c) obtain
d) d) was obtained
18. In my research I …………. to make the following claims.
a)intend
b) outline
c) study
d) provide
19. N ………………. the key factors of the prospective study.
a) claims
b) maintains
c) declares
d) emphasizes
20. The topic …………. to traditional studies in the sphere of tourism management
a) provides
b) observes
c) refers
d) investigates
21. Further research in this area of study …………
a) put theory into practice.
b) deserve closer examination
c) could lead to new thinking about ……..
d) could develop new technologies.
22. To understand it ………… the problem should be studied in relation to other branches of tourism.
a) a) Briefly
b) b) Deep
c) c) Deeply
d) d) Brief
23. This project is intended ………….. the major issue of social mobility.
a) to aim
b) to incorporate
c) to cover
d) to apply
24. Besides …………. The literature to the problem advanced by various theorists, this study aims at considering social structure of society.
a) Exploring
b) Supposing
c) Writing
d) Presenting
25. The study is ………… by a large body of literature on the subject.
a) Examined
b) Provided
c) Proved
d) Suggested
26. ……………….. I would like to indicate briefly the main ideas of the research.
a) In conclusion
b) At the end
c) Thus
d) The matter is that
27 Moreover the research will…………. to the development of theoretical work.
a) add
b) invest
c) contribute
d) invent
28. The goal of the research will be ………….by the deployment of qualitative sociological methods.
a) created
b) determined
c) required
d) achieved
29. The data…………….a combination of contradictions which issues comprises.
a) raises
b) connects
c) reveals
d) views
30. I would like to ……….. your attention on this issue.
a) point
b) draw
c) address
d) underline
ЧАСТЬ III
ЧТЕНИЕ АКАДЕМИЧЕСКИХ ТЕКСТОВ
TEXT 1.
POPULATION VIABILITY ANALYSIS [1]
Part A
To make political decisions about the extent and type of forestry in a region it is important to understand the consequences of those decisions. One tool for assessing the impact of forestry on the ecosystem is population viability analysis (PVA). This is a tool for predicting the probability that a species will become extinct in a particular region over a specific period. It has been successfully used in the United States to provide input into resource exploitation decisions and assist wildlife managers and there is now enormous potential for using population viability to assist wildlife management in Australia’s forests. A species becomes extinct when the last individual dies. This observation is a useful starting point for any discussion of extinction as it highlights the role of luck and chance in the extinction process. To make a prediction about extinction we need to understand the processes that can contribute to it and these fall into four broad categories which are discussed below.
Part B
A) Early attempts to predict population viability were based on demographic uncertainty whether an individual survives from one year to the next will largely be a matter of chance. Some pairs may produce several young in a single year while others may produce none in that same year. Small populations will fluctuate enormously because of the random nature of birth and death and these chance fluctuations can cause species extinctions even if, on average, the population size should increase. Taking only this uncertainty of ability to reproduce into account, extinction is unlikely if the number of individuals in a population is above about 50 and the population is growing.
B) Small populations cannot avoid a certain amount of inbreeding. This is particularly true if there is a very small number of one sex. For example, if there are only 20 individuals of a species and only one is a male, all future individuals in the species must be descended from that one male. For most animal species such individuals are less likely to survive and reproduce. Inbreeding increases the chance of extinction.
C) Variation within a species is the raw material upon which natural selection acts. Without genetic variability a species lacks the capacity to evolve and cannot adapt to changes in its environment or to new predators and new diseases. The loss of genetic diversity associated with reductions in population size will contribute to the likelihood of extinction.
D) Recent research has shown that other factors need to be considered. Australia’s environment fluctuates enormously from year to year. These fluctuations add yet another degree of uncertainty to the survival of many species. Catastrophes such as fire, flood, drought or epidemic may reduce population sizes to a small fraction of their average level. When allowance is made for these two additional elements of uncertainty the population size necessary to be confident of persistence for a few hundred years may increase to several thousand.
Part C
Beside these processes we need to bear in mind the distribution of a population. A species that occurs in five isolated places each containing 20 individuals will not have the same probability of extinction as a species with a single population of 100 individuals in a single locality. Where logging occurs (that is, the cutting down of forests for timber) forest-dependent creatures in that area will be forced to leave. Ground-dwelling herbivores may return within a decade. However, arboreal marsupials (that is animals which live in trees) may not recover to pre-logging densities for over a century. As more forests are logged, animal population sizes will be reduced further. Regardless of the theory or model that we choose, a reduction in population size decreases the genetic diversity of a population and increases the probability of extinction because of any or all of the processes listed above. It is therefore a scientific fact that increasing the area that is loaded in any region will increase the probability that forest-dependent animals will become extinct.
Questions 28 – 31.
Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in Part A of Reading Passage 1? In boxes 28-31 on your answer sheet write:
YES –if the statement agrees with the writer
NO –if the statement contradicts the writer
NOT GIVEN –if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this
| Example | Answer |
| A link exists between the consequences of decisions and the decision making process itself. | YES |
28. Scientists are interested in the effect of forestry on native animals.
29. PVA has been used in Australia for many years.
30. A species is said to be extinct when only one individual exists.
31. Extinction is a naturally occurring phenomenon.
Questions 32-35.
These questions are based on Part B of Reading Passage 1. In paragraphs A to D the author describes four processes which may contribute to the extinction of a species. Match the list of processes (i-vi) to the paragraphs. Write the appropriate number (i-vi) in boxes 32-35 on your answer sheet.
NB There are more processes than paragraphs so you will not use all of them.
| 32. Paragraph A 33. Paragraph B 34. Paragraph C 35. Paragraph D | Processes i Loss of ability to adapt ii Natural disasters iii An imbalance of the sexes iv Human disasters v Evolution vi The haphazard nature of reproduction |
Questions 36 – 38.
Based on your reading of Part C, complete the sentences below with words taken from the passage. Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDSfor each answer. Write your answers in boxes 36-38 on your answer sheet.
While the population of a species may be on the increase, there is always a chance that small isolated groups .......... (36) .......... Survival of a species depends on a balance between the size of a population and its .......... (37) ......... The likelihood that animals which live in forests will become extinct is increased when .......... (38) ...........
Question 39.
Choose the appropriate letter A-D and write it in box 39 on your answer sheet.
39.An alternative heading for the passage could be:
A) The protection of native flora and fauna
B) Influential factors in assessing survival probability
C) An economic rationale for the logging of forests
D) Preventive measures for the extinction of a species
Answer:
28. Yes
29. No
30. No
31. Not Given
32. vi : The haphazard nature of reproduction
33. iii: An imbalance of the sexes
34. i: Loss of ability to adapt
35. ii: Natural disasters
36. will (/may) not survive / will (/ may)could become extinct
37. locality/ distribution
38. logging takes place (/ occurs)
39. B
***
TEXT 2.
ALARMING RATE OF LOSS OF TROPICAL RAINFORESTS [2]
Adults and children are frequently confronted with statements about the alarming rate of loss of tropical rainforests. For example, one graphic illustration to which children might readily relate is the estimate that rainforests are being destroyed at a rate equivalent to one thousand football fields every forty minutes – about the duration of a normal classroom period. In the face of the frequent and often vivid media coverage, it is likely that children will have formed ideas about rainforests – what and where they are, why they are important, what endangers them – independent of any formal tuition. It is also possible that some of these ideas will be mistaken. Many studies have shown that children harbour misconceptions about ‘pure’, curriculum science. These misconceptions do not remain isolated but become incorporated into a multifaceted, but organised, conceptual framework, making it and the component ideas, some of which are erroneous, more robust but also accessible to modification. These ideas may be developed by children absorbing ideas through the popular media. Sometimes this information may be erroneous. It seems schools may not be providing an opportunity for children to re-express their ideas and so have them tested and refined by teachers and their peers.
Despite the extensive coverage in the popular media of the destruction of rainforests, little formal information is available about children’s ideas in this area. The aim of the present study is to start to provide such information, to help teachers design their educational strategies to build upon correct ideas and to displace misconceptions and to plan programmes in environmental studies in their schools.
The study surveys children’s scientific knowledge and attitudes to rainforests. Secondary school children were asked to complete a questionnaire containing five open-form questions. The most frequent responses to the first question were descriptions which are self-evident from the term ‘rainforest’. Some children described them as damp, wet or hot. The second question concerned the geographical location of rainforests. The commonest responses were continents or countries: Africa (given by 43% of children), South America (30%), Brazil (25%). Some children also gave more general locations, such as being near the Equator.
Responses to question three concerned the importance of rainforests. The dominant idea, raised by 64% of the pupils, was that rainforests provide animals with habitats. Fewer students responded that rainforests provide plant habitats, and even fewer mentioned the indigenous populations of rainforests. More girls (70%) than boys (60%) raised the idea of rainforest as animal habitats.
Similarly, but at a lower level, more girls (13%) than boys (5%) said that rainforests provided human habitats. These observations are generally consistent with our previous studies of pupils’ views about the use and conservation of rainforests, in which girls were shown to be more sympathetic to animals and expressed views which seem to place an intrinsic value on non-human animal life.
The fourth question concerned the causes of the destruction of rainforests. Perhaps encouragingly, more than half of the pupils (59%) identified that it is human activities which are destroying rainforests, some personalising the responsibility by the use of terms such as ‘we are’. About 18% of the pupils referred specifically to logging activity.
One misconception, expressed by some 10% of the pupils, was that acid rain is responsible for rainforest destruction; a similar proportion said that pollution is destroying rainforests. Here, children are confusing rainforest destruction with damage to the forests of Western Europe by these factors. While two fifths of the students provided the information that the rainforests provide oxygen, in some cases this response also embraced the misconception that rainforest destruction would reduce atmospheric oxygen, making the atmosphere incompatible with human life on Earth.
In answer to the final question about the importance of rainforest conservation, the majority of children simply said that we need rainforests to survive. Only a few of the pupils (6%) mentioned that rainforest destruction may contribute to global warming. This is surprising considering the high level of media coverage on this issue. Some children expressed the idea that the conservation of rainforests is not important.
The results of this study suggest that certain ideas predominate in the thinking of children about rainforests. Pupils’ responses indicate some misconceptions in basic scientific knowledge of rainforests’ ecosystems such as their ideas about rainforests as habitats for animals, plants and humans and the relationship between climatic change and destruction of rainforests.
Pupils did not volunteer ideas that suggested that they appreciated the complexity of causes of rainforest destruction. In other words, they gave no indication of an appreciation of either the range of ways in which rainforests are important or the complex social, economic and political factors which drive the activities which are destroying the rainforests. One encouragement is that the results of similar studies about other environmental issues suggest that older children seem to acquire the ability to appreciate, value and evaluate conflicting views. Environmental education offers an arena in which these skills can be developed, which is essential for these children as future decision-makers.
Questions 1 – 8.
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Sample 7?
In boxes 1 – 8 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 plight of the rainforests has largely been ignored by the media.
2. Children only accept opinions on rainforests that they encounter in their classrooms.
3. It has been suggested that children hold mistaken views about the ‘pure’ science that they study at school.
4. The fact that children’s ideas about science form part of a larger framework of ideas means that it is easier to change them.
5. The study involved asking children a number of yes/no questions such as ‘Are there any rainforests in Africa?’
6. Girls are more likely than boys to hold mistaken views about the rainforests’ destruction.
7. The study reported here follows on from a series of studies that have looked at children’s understanding of rainforests.
8. A second study has been planned to investigate primary school children’s ideas about rainforests.
Questions 9–13
The box below gives a list of responsesA – P to the questionnaire discussed in Reading sample 7.
Answer the following questions by choosing the correct responses A – P.
Write your answers in boxes 9–13 on your answer sheet.
9. What was the children’s most frequent response when asked where the rainforests were?
10. What was the most common response to the question about the importance of the rainforests?
11. What did most children give as the reason for the loss of the rainforests?
12. Why did most children think it important for the rainforests to be protected?
13. Which of the responses is cited as unexpectedly uncommon, given the amount of time spent on the issue by the newspapers and television?
| A. There is a complicated combination of reasons for the loss of the rainforests. |
| B. The rainforests are being destroyed by the same things that are destroying the forests of Western Europe. |
| C. Rainforests are located near the Equator. |
| D. Brazil is home to the rainforests. |
| E. Without rainforests some animals would have nowhere to live. |
| F. Rainforests are important habitats for a lot of plants. |
| G. People are responsible for the loss of the rainforests. |
| H. The rainforests are a source of oxygen. |
| I. Rainforests are of consequence for a number of different reasons. |
| J. As the rainforests are destroyed, the world gets warmer. |
| K. Without rainforests there would not be enough oxygen in the air. |
| L. There are people for whom the rainforests are home. |
| M Rainforests are found in Africa. |
| N. Rainforests are not really important to human life. |
| O. The destruction of the rainforests is the direct result of logging activity. |
| P. Humans depend on the rainforests for their continuing existence. |
Question 14
Choose the correct letter A, B, C, D or E.
Write your answer in box 14 on your answer sheet.
Which of the following is the most suitable title for Reading sample Passage 7?
A) The development of a programme in environmental studies within a science curriculum
B) Children’s ideas about the rainforests and the implications for course design
C) The extent to which children have been misled by the media concerning the rainforests
D) How to collect, collate and describe the ideas of secondary school children
E) The importance of the rainforests and the reasons for their destru
Answer:
1. False
2. False
3. True
4. True
5. False
6. Not given
7. True
8. Not given
9. M
10. E
11. G
12. P
13. J
14. B
***
TEXT 3.
PAPER RECYCLING [3]
A. Paper is different from other waste produce because it comes from asustainable resource: trees. Unlike the minerals and oil used to make plastics and metals, trees are replaceable. Paper is also biodegradable, so it does not pose as much threat to the environment when it is discarded. While 45 out of every 100 tonnes of wood fibre used to make paper in Australia comes from waste paper, the rest comes directly from virgin fibre from forests and plantations. By world standards this is a good performance since the world-wide average is 33 per cent waste paper. Governments have encouraged waste paper collection and sorting schemes and at the same time, the paper industry has responded by developing new recycling technologies that have paved the way for even greater utilization of used fibre. As a result, industry’s use of recycled fibres is expected to increase at twice the rate of virgin fibre over the coming years.
B. Already, waste paper constitutes 70% of paper used for packaging and advances in the technology required to remove ink from the paper have allowed a higher recycled content in newsprint and writing paper. To achieve the benefits of recycling, the community must also contribute. We need to accept a change in the quality of paper products; for example stationery may be less white and of a rougher texture. There also needs to be support from the community for waste paper collection programs. Not only do we need to make the paper available to collectors but it also needs to be separated into different types and sorted from contaminants such as staples, paperclips, string and other miscellaneous items.
C. There are technical limitations to the amount of paper which can be recycled and some paper products cannot be collected for re-use. These include paper in the form of books and permanent records, photographic paper and paper which is badly contaminated. The four most common sources of paper for recycling are factories and retail stores which gather large amounts of packaging material in which goods are delivered, also offices which have unwanted business documents and computer output, paper converters and printers and lastly households which discard newspapers and packaging material. The paper manufacturer pays a price for the paper and may also incur the collection cost.
D. Once collected, the paper has to be sorted by hand by people trained to recognise various types of paper. This is necessary because some types of paper can only be made from particular kinds of recycled fibre. The sorted paper then has to be repulped or mixed with water and broken down into its individual fibres. This mixture is called stock and may contain a wide variety of contaminating materials, particularly if it is made from mixed waste paper which has had little sorting. Various machineries are used to remove other materials from the stock. After passing through the repulping process, the fibres from printed waste paper are grey in colour because the printing ink has soaked into the individual fibres. This recycled material can only be used in products where the grey colour does not matter, such as cardboard boxes but if the grey colour is not acceptable, the fibres must be de-inked. This involves adding chemicals such as caustic soda or other alkalis, soaps and detergents, water-hardening agents such as cal-cium chloride, frothing agents and bleaching agents. Before the recycled fibres can be made into paper they must be refined or treated in such a way that they bond together.
E. Most paper products must contain some virgin fibre as well as recycled fibres and unlike glass, paper cannot be recycled indefinitely. Most paper is down-cycled which means that a prod-uct made from recycled paper is of an inferior quality to the original paper. Recycling paper is beneficial in that it saves some of the energy, labour and capital that go into producing virgin pulp. However, recycling requires the use of fossil fuel, a non-renewable energy source, to collect the waste paper from the community and to process it to produce new paper. And the recycling process still creates emissions which require treatment before they can be disposed of safely. Nevertheless, paper recycling is an important economical and environmental practice but one which must be carried out in a rational and viable manner for it to be useful to both industry and the community.
Questions 30 – 36.
Complete the summary below of the first two paragraphs of the Reading Passage.
Choose ONE OR TWO WORDS from the Reading Passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 30-36 on your answer sheet.
SUMMARY
Example ....
From the point of view of recycling, paper has two advantages over minerals and ...........oil..........
in that firstly it comes from a resource which is ........ (30) ........ and secondly it is less threatening to our environment when we throw it away because it is ....... (31) ......Although Australia’s record in the re-use of waste paper is good, it is still necessary to use a combination of recycled fibre and ........ (32) ........to make new paper. The paper industry has contributed positively and people have also been encouraged by .........(33) .........to collect their waste on a regular basis. One major difficulty is the removal of ink from used paper but ......... (34) ......... are being made in this area. However, we need to learn to accept paper which is generally of a lower ......... (35) ......... than before and to sort our waste paper by removing ......... (36) ........before discarding it for collection.
Look at paragraphs C, D, andE and, using the information in the passage, complete the flow chart below. Write your answers in boxes 37-41 on your answer sheet. Use ONE OR TWO WORDS for each answer.
 |
Answer:
30. sustamable
31. biodegradable
32. virgin fibre/ pulp
33. governments/ the government
34.advances
35.quality
36. contaminants
37. offices
38. sorted
39. (re)pulped
40. de-ink/ remove ink/ make white
41. refined
***
Text4.
CREATING ARTIFICIAL REEFS [4]
In the coastal waters of the US, a nation's leftovers have been discarded.Derelict ships, concrete blocks, scrapped cars, army tanks, tyres filled with concrete and redundant planes litter the sea floor. However, this is not waste disposal, but part of a coordinated, state-run programme. To recently arrived fish, plants and other sea organisms, these artificial reefs are an ideal home, offering food and shelter.
Sea-dumping incites widespread condemnation. Little surprise when oceans are seen as 'convenient' dumping grounds for the rubbish we have created but would rather forget. However, scientific evidence suggests that if we dump the right things, sea life can actually be enhanced. And more recently, purpose-built structures of steel or concrete have been employed – some the size of small apartment blocks -principally to increase fish harvests.
Strong currents, for example, the choice of design and materials for an artificial reef depends on where it is going to be placed. In areas of a solid concrete structure will be more appropriate than ballasted tyres. It also depends on what species are to be attracted. It is pointless creating high-rise structures for fish that prefer flat or low-relief habitat. But the most important consideration is the purpose of the reef.
In the US, where there is a national reef plan using cleaned up rigs and tanks, artificial reefs have mainly been used to attract fish for recreational fishing or sport-diving. But there are many other ways in which they can be used to manage the marine habitat. For as well as protecting existing habitat, providing purpose-built accommodation for commercial species (such as lobsters and octupi) and acting as sea defences, they can be an effective way of improving fish harvests.
Japan, for example, has created vast areas of artificial habitat - rather than isolated reefs – to increase its fish stocks. In fact, the cultural and historical importance of seafood in Japan is reflected by the fact that it is a world leader in reef technology; what's more, those who construct and deploy reefs have sole rights to the harvest.
In Europe, artificial reefs have been mainly employed to protect habitat. Particularly so in the Mediterranean where reefs have been sunk as physical obstacles to stop illegal trawling, which is destroying sea grass beds and the marine life that depends on them. If you want to protect areas of the seabed, you need something that will stop trawlers dead in their tracks,' says Dr. Antony Jensen of the Southampton Oceanography Centre.
Italy boasts considerable artificial reef activity. It deployed its first scientifically planned reef using concrete cubes assembled in pyramid forms in 1974 to enhance fisheries and stop trawling. And Spain has built nearly 50 reefs in its waters, mainly to discourage trawling and enhance the productivity of fisheries. Meanwhile, Britain established its first quarried rock artificial reef in 1984 off the Scottish coast, to assess its potential for attracting commercial species.
But while the scientific study of these structures is a little over a quarter of a century old, artificial reefs made out of readily available materials such as bamboo and coconuts have been used by fishermen for centuries. And the benefits have been enormous. By placing reefs close to home, fishermen can save time and fuel. But unless they are carefully managed, these areas can become over- fished. In the Philippines, for example, where artificial reef programmes have been instigated in response to declining fish populations, catches are often allowed to exceed the maximum potential new production of the artificial reef because there is no proper management control.
There is no doubt that artificial reefs have lots to offer. And while purpose-built structures are effective, the real challenge now is to develop environmentally safe ways of using recycled waste to increase marine diversity. This will require more scientific research. For example, the leachates from one of the most commonly used reef materials, tyres, could potentially be harmful to the creatures and plants that they are supposed to attract. Yet few extensive studies have been undertaken into the long- term effects of disposing of tyres at sea. And at the moment, there is little consensus about what is environmentally acceptable to dump at sea, especially when it comes to oil and gas rigs. Clearly, the challenge is to develop environmentally acceptable ways of disposing of our rubbish while enhancing marine life too. What we must never be allowed to do is have an excuse for dumping anything we like at sea.
Questions 1-3
The list below gives some of the factors that must be taken into account when deciding how to construct an artificial reef. Which THREE of these factors are mentioned by the writer of the article? Write the appropriate letters A-F in boxes 1-3 on your answer sheet.
| A | The fishing activity in the area |
| B | The intended location of the reef |
| C | The existing reef structures |
| D | The type of marine life being targeted |
| E | The function of the reef |
| F | The cultural importance of the area |
Questions 4-8
Complete the table below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 4-8 on your answer sheet.
| Area/Country | Type of Reef | Purpose |
| US | Made using old ….(4)…. | To attract fish for leisure activities |
| Japan | Forms large area of artificial habitat | to improve ….(5)…. |
| Europe | lies deep down to form …(6)…. | to act as a sea defence |
| Italy | Consists of pyramid shapes of ….(7)….. | to prevent trawling |
| Britain | made of rock | to encourage ….(8)…. Fish species |
Questions 9 – 12.
Using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS, complete the following sentences. Write your answers in boxes 9-12 on your answer sheet.
In .....(9)....., people who build reefs are legally entitled to all the fish they attract. Trawling inhibits the development of marine life because it damages the .....(10)...... In the past, both ......(11)......were used to make reefs. To ensure that reefs are not over-fished, good ......(12)..... is required.
Question 13.
Choose the appropriate letter A-D and write it in box 13 on your answer sheet.
13. According to the writer, the next step in the creation of artificial reefs is
A) to produce an international agreement.
В) to expand their use in the marine environment.
С) to examine their dangers to marine life.
D) to improve on purpose-built structures.
Answer:
1, 2 & 3: B, D, E (In any order)
4. rigs and/or tanks
5. fish stocks
6. physical obstacles
7. concrete
8. commercial
9. Japan
10. sea [grass) beds/floor/bottom
11. bamboo and coconuts
12. management (control)
13. c
***
TEXT 5.
TRACKING HURRICANES [5]
North American meteorologists from the National Oceanic and AtmosphericAdministration (NOAA)'s Hurricane Research Division have recently improved the success rate in their forecasting of where hurricanes are likely to hit land by an estimated 15 to 30%. This increase in accuracy is due to the use of instruments called GPS-dropwindsondes, which can probe the atmosphere surrounding a hurricane while it is still out at sea. The atmospheric characteristics of hurricanes over land are well understood because investigation is possible with weather balloons containing sophisticated meteorological instruments. When hurricanes are out of reach of balloons, gathering information is decidedly more difficult. Little is known of the weather conditions that guide hurricanes towards land.
An accurate estimation of where a hurricane will strike is essential in order to reduce loss of life and property. Hurricane Andrew, the most costly hurricane in U.S. history, killed 15 people and caused damage of $35 billion, in today's dollars, in 1992. However, the unnamed : Category 4 2 hurricane which struck southeast Florida in 1926 and killed 243 people would have caused an estimated $77 billion if it had struck today. The reason for this is the explosion in population growth and development along the south-east coast of the U.S. during the last half century.
Hurricanes occur in cycles every few decades, the last intense period in the U.S. being from 1940 to 1969. 'Camille', a Category 5 hurricane of such catastrophic force that it caused over a billion and a half dollars worth of damage at the time and killed 256 people, struck the coast of the Gulf of Mexico in 1969 with winds over 320 km/h. Yet, for the last quarter century, hurricane activity has been relatively mild. Scientists do not know the precise reason for the cycles of hurricane activity, but they could be caused by a phenomenon called the 'Atlantic Conveyor'. This is the name given to the gigantic current of water that flows cold from the top of the globe slowly along the Atlantic ocean floor to Antarctica and resurfaces decades later before flowing back north, absorbing heat as it crosses the equator. Since hurricanes derive their energy from the heat of warm water, it is thought that an increase in the speed of the' Conveyor', as it pulls warm water to the north, is an indicator of intensifying hurricane activity.
The use of GPS-dropwindsondes began in 1997. Small sensing devices dropped from planes at very high altitudes and over a wide area, they are far more revealing than previously used sensors. Because they weigh only 0.4 kilograms, they are able to stay aloft for longer periods and broadcast more data to the ground. Each sonde carries its own global positioning satellite receiver. The GPS signals received are used to calculate the direction and speed of wind, and data on temperature, humidity, and barometric pressure at half second intervals all the way down to the ocean surface.
Dropwindsonde information is fed into a special meteorological computer in Maryland which generates a global computer model of wind patterns. Data analysts have discovered a greater variability in the winds at sea level than previously believed, but many forecasting problems are beyond a solution, at least for the time being. For instance, it is not yet known why hurricanes can suddenly change in intensity; current computer models often fail to predict whether a hurricane will reach land or else cannot pinpoint where a strike will take place.
One surprising result of a recent computer simulation was the destruction of a large part of downtown New York. Hurricane researchers believe that the city is more likely than Miami to suffer a direct hit in the near future. Also, certain geographical features of the coastline near New York make it conceivable that a wall of water called a storm surge pushed ashore by hurricane winds would cause a devastating flooding of Manhattan. A storm surge was responsible for the more than 8000 deaths caused by the hurricane that destroyed the city of Galveston in 1900.
Questions 1 – 4
You are advised to spend about 5 minutes on Questions 1-4.
Refer to Reading Passage 25 "Tracking Hurricanes", and look at Questions 1 - 4 below.
Write your answers in boxes 1 - 4 on your Answer Sheet. The first one has been done for you as an example.
Example: What do the letters NOAA stand for?
Q1. Which instruments have recently increased the success rate of U.S. hurricane forecasts?
Q2. What reason is given for the lack of knowledge of hurricanes at sea?
Q3. Why was the hurricane which struck in 1926 not given a name?
Q4. What is the name of the strongest hurricane mentioned in the article?
You are advised to spend about 8 minutes on Questions 5-11.
Look at the table below. According to Reading Passage 1, to whom or what do the phrases on the right refer?
Write your answers in boxes 5 -11 on your Answer Sheet. The first one has been done for you as an example.
Note that you must give your answer IN NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS.
WHO or WHAT ?
| Ex : | Meteorologist | have improved their forecasts for hurricanes |
| Q5 | ……………………… | become stronger every few decades |
| Q6 | ……………………… | energises all hurricanes |
| Q7 | ……………………… | is a huge current of water flowing from north to south |
| Q8 | ……………………… | could not stay in the air for a long time |
| Q9 | ……………………… | know more about surface winds than they knew before |
| Q10 | ……………………… | recently predicted a catastrophe for the city of New York |
| Q11 | ……………………… | is a huge wave of water blown on land by a hurricane |
Questions 12 -15
You are advised to spend about 7 minutes on Questions 12-15.
Refer to Reading Passage 25, and decide which of the answers best completes the following sentences.
Write your answers in boxes 12 -15 on your Answer Sheet. The first one has been done for you as an example.
Example: The main point of the passage is to give information about:
A) previous U.S. hurricanes
B) future U.S. hurricanes
C) forecasting hurricane activity
D) why hurricanes change in intensity
Q12. The intensity of U.S. hurricanes:
A) has increased by 15 to 30% recently
B) depends on the GPS-dropwindsondes
C) was greater from 1940 to 1969 than at any previous time
D) can be more accurately measured by satellite assistance
Q13. The Category 4 hurricane which hit Florida in 1926:
A) w as the most catastrophic to hit the U. S. this century
B) caused $77 billion worth of damage
C) caused an explosion in population growth
D) none of the above
Q14. Hurricane'Camille':
A) caused $1.5 billion dollars damage in today's money
B) was the worst U.S. storm this century in terms of life lost
C) was named in the 1950s
D) was not as intense as the hurricane of 1926
Q15. The writer of the passage probably believes that:
A) accurate tracking of hurricanes might be possible in the future
B) storm surges only occur within computer simulations
C) computer predictions are unreliable
D) the worst hurricanes occur in the U.S.
Answer:
1. GPS-dropwindsondes
2. (weather) balloons
3. (the custom of) naming hurricanes began in the (early) 1950s
4. Camille
5. Hurricanes
6. heat (of water) / warm water
7. (the) Atlantic Conveyor
8. previously used sensors
9. data analysts
10. (a) computer (simulation) / hurricane researchers
11. (a) storm surge
12.
13. d
14. b
15. A
***
TEXT 6.
TOURISM [6]
A.Tourism, holidaymaking and travel are these days more significant social phenomena than most commentators have considered. On the face of it there could not be a more trivial subject for a book. And indeed since social scientists have had considerable difficulty explaining weightier topics, such as work or politics, it might be thought that they would have great difficulties in accounting for more trivial phenomena such as holidaymaking. However, there are interesting parallels with the study of deviance. This involves the investigation of bizarre and idiosyncratic social practices which happen to be defined as deviant in some societies but not necessarily in others. The assumption is that the investigation of deviance can reveal interesting and significant aspects of normal societies. It could be said that a similar analysis can be applied to tourism.
B. Tourism is a leisure activity which presupposes its opposite, namely regulated and organised work. It is one manifestation of how work and leisure are organised as separate and regulated spheres of social practice in modern societies. Indeed acting as a tourist is one of the defining characteristics of being ‘modern’ and the popular concept of tourism is that it is organised within particular places and occurs for regularised periods of time. Tourist relationships arise from a movement of people to, and their stay in, various destinations. This necessarily involves some movement, that is the journey, and a period of stay in a new place or places. ‘The journey and the stay’ are by definition outside the normal places of residence and work and are of a short term and temporary nature and there is a clear intention to return ‘home’ within a relatively short period of time.
C. A substantial proportion of the population of modern societies engages in such tourist practices new socialised forms of provision have developed in order to cope with the mass character of the gazes of tourists as opposed to the individual character of travel. Places are chosen to be visited and be gazed upon because there is an anticipation especially through daydreaming and fantasy of intense pleasures, either on a different scale or involving different senses from those customarily encountered. Such anticipation is constructed and sustained through a variety of non-tourist practices such as films, TV literature, magazines records and videos which construct and reinforce this daydreaming.
D. Tourists tend to visit features of landscape and townscape which separate them off from everyday experience. Such aspects are viewed because they are taken to be in some sense out of the ordinary. The viewing of these tourist sights often involves different forms of social patterning with a much greater sensitivity to visual elements of landscape or townscape than is normally found in everyday life. People linger over these sights in a way that they would not normally do in their home environment and the vision is objectified or captured through photographs postcards films and so on which enable the memory to be endlessly reproduced and recaptured.
E. One of the earliest dissertations on the subject of tourism is Boorstins analysis of the pseudo event (1964) where he argues that contemporary. Americans cannot experience reality directly but thrive on pseudo events. Isolated from the host environment and the local people the mass tourist travels in guided groups and finds pleasure in inauthentic contrived attractions gullibly enjoying the pseudo events and disregarding the real world outside. Over time the images generated of different tourist sights come to constitute a closed self-perpetuating system of illusions which provide the tourist with the basis for selecting and evaluating potential places to visit. Such visits are made says Boorstin, within the environmental bubble of the familiar American style hotel which insulates the tourist from the strangeness of the host environment.
F. To service the burgeoning tourist industry, an array of professionals has developed who attempt to reproduce ever-new objects for the tourist to look at. These objects or places are located in a complex and changing hierarchy. This depends upon the interplay between, on the one hand, competition between interests involved in the provision of such objects and, on the other hand changing class, gender, and generational distinctions of taste within the potential population of visitors. It has been said that to be a tourist is one of the characteristics of the modern experience. Not to go away is like not possessing a car or a nice house. Travel is a marker of status in modern societies and is also thought to be necessary for good health. The role of the professional, therefore, is to cater for the needs and tastes of the tourists in accordance with their class and overall expectations.
Questions 28 – 32.
Raiding Passage 3 has 6 paragraphs (A-F).
Choose the most suitable heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below Write the appropriate numbers (i-ix) in boxes 28-32 on your answer sheet.
Paragraph D has been done for you as an example.
NB. There are more headings than paragraphs so you will not use all of them You may use any heading more than once.
List of Headings
| i | The politics of tourism |
| ii | The cost of tourism |
| iii | Justifying the study of tourism |
| iv | Tourism contrasted with travel |
| v | The essence of modern tourism |
| vi | Tourism versus leisure |
| vii | The artificiality of modern tourism |
| viii | The role of modern tour guides |
| ix | Creating an alternative to the everyday experience |
28 Paragraph A
29 Paragraph B
30 Paragraph C
| Example Answer Paragraph D ix |
31. Paragraph E
32. Paragraph F
Questions 33 – 37.
Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in Reading Passage 35? In boxes 33-37 write :
YES – if the statement agrees with the writer
NO – if the statement contradicts the writer
NOT GIVEN – if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this
33. Tourism is a trivial subject.
34. An analysis of deviance can act as a model for the analysis of tourism.
35. Tourists usually choose to travel overseas.
36. Tourists focus more on places they visit than those at home.
37. Tour operators try to cheat tourists.
Questions 38 – 41.
Chose one phrase (A-H) from the list of phrases to complete each key point below. Write the appropriate letters (A-H) in boxes 38-41 on your answer sheet.
The information in the completed sentences should be an accurate summary of points made by the writer.
NB There are more phrases A-H than sentences so you will not use them all. You may use any phrase more than once.
38. Our concept of tourism arises from .......
39. The media can be used to enhance .......
40. People view tourist landscapes in a different way from .......
41. Group tours encourage participants to look at .......
List of Phrases
| A | local people and their environment |
| B | the expectations of tourists |
| C | the phenomena of holidaymaking |
| D | the distinction we make between holidays. work and leisure |
| E | the individual character of travel |
| F | places seen in everyday life |
| G | photographs which recapture our |
| H | sights designed specially for tourists |
Answer:
28. iii
29. v
30. iv
31. vii
32. viii
33. NO
34. YES
35. NOT GIVEN
36. YES
37. NOT GIVEN
38. D
39. B
40. F
41. H
***
TEXT 7.
TIDAL POWER [7]
Undersea turbines which produce electricity from the tides are set to become an important source of renewable energy for Dritain. lt is still too early to predict the extent of the impact they may have. but all the signs are that they will play a significant role in the future.
A.Operating on the same principle as wind turbines, the power in sea turbines comes from tidal currents which turn blades similar to ships' propellers, but. unlike wind, the tides are predictable and the power input is constant. The technology raises the prospect of Britain becoming self-sufficient in renewable energy and drastically reducing its carbon dioxide emissions. lf tide, wind and wave power are all developed. Britain would be able to close gas, coal and nuclear power plants and export renewable power to other parts of Europe. Unlike wind power which Britain originally developed and than abandoned for 20 years allowing the Dutch to make it a major industry. undersea turbines could become a big export earner to island nations such as Japan and New Zealand.
B. Tidal sites have already been identified that will produce one sixth or more of the UK’s power - and at prices competitive with modern gas turbines and undercutting those of the already ailing nuclear industry. One site alone, the Pendand Firth. between Orkney and mainland Scotland, could produce 10% of the country's electricity with banks of turbines under the sea, and another at Alderney in the Channel islands three times the 1.200 megawatts of Britain's largest and newest nuclear plant, Sizewell B, in Suffolk. Other sites identified include the Bristol Channel and the west coast of Scotland, particularly the channel between Campbeltown and Northern Ireland.
C. Work on designs for the new turbine blades and sites are well advanced at the University of Southampton‘s sustainable energy research group. The first station is expected to be installed off Lynmouth in Devon shortly to test the technology in a venture jointly funded by the department of Trade and Industry and the European Union. AbuBakr Bahaj, in charge of the Southampton research. said: The prospects for energy from tidal currents are far better than from wind because the flows of water are predictable and constant. The technology for dealing with the hostile saline environment under the sea has been developed in the North Sea oil industry and much is already known about turbine blade design, because of wind power and ship propellers. There are a few technical difficulties, but I believe in the next live to ten years we will be installing commercial marine turbine farms.' Southampton has been awarded £2’l5.U.`D over three years to develop the turbines and is working with Marine Current Turbines. a subsidiary of IT power; on the Lynmouth project. EU research has now identified 1GB potential sites for tidal powen BG% round the coasts ol Britain. The best sites are between islands or around heavily indented coasts where there are strong tidal currents.
D. A marine turbine blade needs to be only one third of the size of a wind generator to produce three times as much power. The blades will be about 20 metres in diameter so around 30 metres of water is required. Unlike wind power there are unlikely to be environmental objections. Fish and other creatures are thought unlikely to be at risk from the relatively slow turning blades. Each turbine will be mounted on a tower which will connect to the national power supply grid via underwater cables. The towers will stick out of the water and be lit. to warn shipping, and also be designed to be lifted out of the water for maintenance and to clean seaweed from the blades.
E. Dr Baha has done most work on the Alderrney site, where there are powerful currents. The single undersea turbine farm would produce far more power than needed for the Channel Islands and most would be fed into the French Grid and be re-imported into Britain via the cable under the Channel.
F. One technical difficulty is cavitations,. where low pressure behind a turning blade causes air bubbles. These can cause vibration and damage the blades of the turbines. Dr Bahaj said: 'We have to lest a number of blade types to avoid this happening or at least make sure it does not damage the turbines or reduce performance. Another slight concern is submerged debris floating into the blades. So far we do not know how much of a problem it might be. We will have to make the turbines robust because the sea is a hostile environment. but all the signs that we can do it are good.
Questions 14 – 17.
Reading Passage 2 has six paragraphs, A-F.
Which paragraph contains the following information?
Write the correct letter; A-F in boxes 14-17 on your answer sheet.
NB You may use any letter more than once.
14. the location of the first test site
15. a way of bringing the power produced on one site back into Britain
16. a reference to a previous attempt by Britain to find an alternative source of energy
17. mention of the possibility of applying technology from another industry
Questions 18 – 22.
CHOOSE FIVE Letters A-J
Write the correct letters in boxes 18-22 on your answer street.
Which FIVE of the following claims about tidal power are made by the writer?
A) It is a more reliable source of energy than wind power.
B) It would replace all other forms of energy in Britain.
C) Its introduction has come as a result of public pressure.
D) It would cut down on air pollution.
E) It could contribute to the closure of many existing power stations ln Britain.
F) It could be a means of increasing national income.
G) It could face a lot of resistance from other fuel industries.
H) It could be sold more cheaply than any other type of fuel.
I) It could compensate for the shortage of inland sites for energy production.
J) It is best produced in the vicinity of coastlines with particular features.
Questions 23 – 26.
Label the diagram below
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer
Write your answers in boxes 23-26 on your answer sheet
An Undersea Turbine
Whole tower can be raised for 23 .............and the extraction of seaweed from the blades. Sea life not in danger due to the fact that blades are comparatively 24..........Air bubble result from the 25........., behind blades. This is known as 26............
Answer:
14. C
15. E
16. A
17. C
18. A
19. D
20. E
21. F
22. J
23. maintenance
24. slow (turning)
25. low pressure
26. Cavitation
***
TEXT 8.
URBAN PLANNING IN SINGAPORE [8]
British merchants established a trading post in Singapore in the earlynineteenth century, and for more than a century trading interests dominated. However, in 1965 the newly independent island state was cut off from its hinterland, and so it set about pursuing a survival strategy. The good international communications it already enjoyed provided a useful base, but it was decided that if Singapore was to secure its economic future, it must develop its industry. To this end, new institutional structures were needed to facilitate, develop, and control foreign investment. One of the most important of these was the Economic Development Board (EDB), an arm of government that developed strategies for attracting investment. Thus from the outset, the Singaporean government was involved in city promotion.
Towards the end of the twentieth century, the government realised that, due to limits on both the size of the country’s workforce and its land area, its labour-intensive industries were becoming increasingly uncompetitive. So an economic committee was established which concluded that Singapore should focus on developing as a service centre, and seek to attract company headquarters to serve South East Asia, and develop tourism, banking, and offshore activities. The land required for this service-sector orientation had been acquired in the early 1970s, when the government realised that it lacked the banking infrastructure for a modern economy. So a new banking and corporate district, known as the ‘Golden Shoe’, was planned, incorporating the historic commercial area. This district now houses all the major companies and various government financial agencies.
Singapore’s current economic strategy is closely linked to land use and development planning. Although it is already a major city, the current development plan seeks to ensure Singapore’s continued economic